BNP leader Annie lied in court about police torture: Kamal

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has said BNP’s publicity secretary Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie was not tortured in police custody and he made false allegation to attract the attention of the court.

The minister told this while replying to questions from media at ‘Sharat Utsab’ (autumn festival) organised by Satyen Sen Shilpi Gosthi at the Bakultala of fine arts faculty of Dhaka University on Friday morning.

Denying the allegation of the BNP leader about the torture, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said police didn’t torture Annie. Allegation of torturing him is not true.

Kamal said the BNP leader could not present any evidence in support of his statement. There were CCTV footage and they did not find any proof in this connection.

The minister said Annie was shown arrested in two cases filed in Lakshmipur. There were warrants against the BNP leader and he did not secure bail from the court in the cases and that is why police arrested him.

About the police arrest by breaking open the door of Annie’s apartment at Dhanmondi, Kamal said as there were warrants against the BNP leader, police went to Annie’s house to arrest him and they asked the residents to open the door but they didn’t, triggering police to enter the house forcibly but they didn’t break the door.

Earlier, law enforcers in plainclothes arrested Annie from his residence in Dhanmondi in the early hours of Wednesday (October 11) and produced him before a court with seven-day remand prayer at 12pm.

Later Annie, a former lawmaker from Lakhsmipur-3 constituency, was put on a four-day remand. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Rashidul Alam passed the remand order.

Meanwhile, Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie has alleged in the court that he has been beaten up in the police station after being arrested from his house.

He made the allegation at the chief metropolitan magistrate court of Dhaka on Wednesday during hearing on a remand petition in a case filed over a sabotage at the Dhanmondi police station.

Annie said police arrested him breaking the door of house and became emotional while describing his torture at the court.