The investigating officer of the case, SI Nazmul Hassan, submitted the report to the court on Tuesday
A court in Dhaka has granted a four-day remand to The Daily Star executive editor Syed Ashfaqul Haque and his wife Tania Khandkar for questioning in connection with the death of a teenage domestic worker who fell from a residential building in the capital’s Mohammadpur last week.
When the investigating officer of the case and Mohammadpur Police Outpost Sub-Inspector (SI) Nazmul Hasan applied for a 10-day remand, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Saifur Rahman granted a 4-day remand.
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When they were produced in the court for the first time in this case last Wednesday, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Hasibul Haque rejected the police’s five-day remand application and ordered the investigating officer to be interrogated at the jail gate.
Mohammadpur police station sub-inspector (SI) Nazmul Hasan interrogated the two suspects on Monday and submitted a report to the court yesterday with a 10-day remand application.
In the remand application, the investigating officer said that there is a CC camera inside the couple’s house but the police could not find any memory card and the accused need to be questioned further to find the memory card.
When the court asked Ashfaqul Haque about the camera, he said that there was no memory card in it.
The investigating officer also said that during separate interrogation at the two gates of the jail, the accused had given certain information which needed to be verified through face-to-face interrogation.
Arguing against the remand plea, counsel for the accused, Ashraf Ul Alam and Chaitanya Chandra Halder, said that both the accused were interrogated together and separately in police custody for 36 hours after being detained immediately after the incident.
Besides, Ashfaqul Haque and Tania Khandkar were interrogated at the gates of Keraniganj and Kashimpur jails on the orders of the court.
The defense lawyers also said that the accused have been arrested in a case filed under the bailable section. Referring to a Supreme Court judgment in 2016, they said lower courts would “give bail to the accused” in cases filed under the bailable section.
After hearing both sides, the court granted a four-day remand.
Preeti Urang (15), a maid of Moulvibazar, died after falling from the eighth floor window of the couple’s flat at around 8 am last Tuesday.
Shortly after the incident, the police took Ashfaqul Haque and Tania Khandkar into custody.
The family of the victim filed a case under Section 304 (a) of the Penal Code as a plaintiff, and the police produced them in court last Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Preeti’s parents demanded justice from a protest program in front of the National Press Club yesterday.
Besides, Law and Arbitration Center (ASC) and Human Rights Culture Foundation (MSF) have expressed deep concern over Preeti’s death.
According to the MSF statement signed by Sultana Kamal, the investigation report mentioned fresh and old injury marks on her body.
“This heartbreaking and shocking incident has caused deep sadness and extreme anger among all,” the agency said, demanding an independent investigation into the incident and the accountability of those responsible.
The statement signed by ASK Executive Director Farooq Faisal also demanded a transparent investigation.
The statement demanded prompt and impartial investigation of the incident and legal action against those responsible. Besides, the organization called for the formulation of necessary policies to stop employment of children in domestic work.
