Amir Khasru remanded

A Chattogram court yesterday placed BNP leader Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury on a one-day remand in a case filed under the ICT Act and Special Powers Act.

Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate Safi Uddin passed the order after the BNP standing committee member was produced before the court with two days' remand prayer, said Kazi Shahabuddin Ahmed, assistant commissioner (prosecution) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police.

The court also ordered Sanjoy Guhu, investigation officer of the case, to submit the report by seven days, the police official said. 

He added that Sanjoy, sub-inspector of CMP DB, had appealed to the court to collect a sample of Khasru's voice so that they could match that with the voice on his reportedly leaked phone conversation. But the BNP leader refused to do so.

Rejecting his bail plea, Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court sent Khasru to jail on Sunday after he surrendered before the court in the case.

On August 28, the BNP leader secured bail for six weeks from the High Court. The bail was extended by the same court on October 07 until Sunday. 

Jakaria Dastagir, general secretary of Chattogram city Chhatra League, filed the case with Chattogram Kotwali Police Station on August 4 under the controversial section 57 of the ICT Act and section 15 of the Special Powers Act after a phone conversation allegedly between Khasru and a BNP activist named Nowmi had been leaked.

The case was lodged on charges of instigating the recent student movement for safe roads, and also conspiring with the BNP activist to destabilise the country.

Khasru's lawyer Nazim Uddin Chowdhury said the prosecution argued that his client hatched a conspiracy to topple the government and tried to create anarchy in the name of students' movement for safety road. 

“Opposing the remand prayer, we told the court that there are no elements of hatching conspiracy against the government in the phone conversation, but the court granted a one-day remand after hearing.

“Amir Khasru told the IO to collect his [sample] voice from different sources like TV, YouTube and public rally speeches,” said Nazim Uddin, also general secretary of Chattogram District Bar Association.