Chowdhury Hassan Sarwardy
Former army officer Chowdhury Hasan Sarwardi, who was arrested in President Biden’s ‘fake advisor’ case, has been remanded for eight days by the police for questioning.
After hearing the police’s 10-day remand application, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Shafi Uddin allowed Sarwardi to be taken into custody on Wednesday.
Sarwardi, who was arrested on Tuesday, was produced in court for remand hearing. On the other hand, his lawyers applied for bail.
After the hearing, the judge denied bail and remanded Sarwardi for eight days for interrogation.
DB Police arrested Sarwardi from Savar Model Town on Tuesday afternoon in connection with a press conference held by an American citizen named Mia Zahidul Islam Arefi at the BNP office posing as an ‘advisor’ of the US President.
Sarwardi and BNP leader Ishrak Hossain are accused in the case filed against Arefi two days ago at Paltan police station.
According to the case filed by Mohiuddin Shikder, a former Chhatra League leader, Hasan Sarwardi and BNP leader Ishrak Hossain took Arefi, an American citizen of Bangladeshi origin, to the BNP office after the clash surrounding the BNP rally on Saturday.
According to the details of the case, Arafi, who claimed to be Biden’s ‘advisor’ at the press conference at the BNP office on Saturday, said that he is in contact with the US president 10-15 times a day and that everyone in the US government is in favor of the caretaker government.
Arefi claimed that the United States government is going to impose sanctions on the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department of Law and Justice of Bangladesh.
It is alleged in the case that Sarwardi and Ishraq incited BNP leaders and activists to deteriorate the law and order situation by ‘helping him to give false speeches’. It has also been said that after listening to Arefi’s speech and watching the video, the law and order of the country ‘deteriorated’ greatly.
Tapas Pal, one of the lawyers for the state, told bdnews24.com that Sarwardy spoke to him with the judge’s permission during the remand and bail hearing.
“Sarwardi said, he is a war wounded freedom fighter. He fought the liberation war in the ninth division. The people of the country know that Tazreen of Ashulia and Rana Plaza of Savar helped the families of many injured victims during the accident.”
Responding to a question from the judge, Sarwardy said that when Arefi, who claimed to be Biden’s adviser, went to the BNP office, he went there to see the injured in the rally. He did not know Arefi.
“I could not understand Arefi’s press conference or what he would say in his speech. I didn’t even know Arefi would speak there.”
The judge then said, “When Arefi said these things in front of you in the press conference, why didn’t you stop him?” About these things
You have training.”
In reply, Sarwardy said, “All this happened before I knew it.”
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner Harun Or Rashid said earlier that Arefi left for America in 1984 through his elder brother. He came back to the country in 1986. Later he came to the country in 2022 and married a woman from Khulna. He lived in Baridhara for six months.
“I met Sarwardy while walking at that time. Then they talk and develop a relationship.”
Haroon said, “When Arefi left for America, Suhrawardy told him that there is a BNP rally on October 28, you should come a little earlier. He (Arefi) came to Bangladesh a month ago. Left again and returned home on 26 October.
“He was taken to the party office saying there was a big BNP rally.”
Based on the information obtained during the interrogation of Arefi, Additional Commissioner Harun said, “He said, the way Sarwardi and BNP leaders Advocate Belal and Ishraq presented him, it is not true. They have misrepresented.
Earlier, discussions started when Arefi’s press conference video went viral on social media. On behalf of the US Embassy in Dhaka, it was said that the person is not a US government official. Information about someone leaving the US Embassy is completely ‘false’.
And in a notification issued by BNP’s media cell, it is said that BNP has no information about the person who spoke at the press conference.
Immigration police arrested Arefi while leaving the country after noon on Sunday and handed him over to the intelligence police.
Later that day, Mohiuddin Shikder filed a case against Arefi, Hasan Sarwardi and Ishraq for breach of trust by false identity. Detective police arrested Sarwardi in that case.
