Bangladesh's former minister Golam Dastagir Gazi arrested

Dhaka, August 25

Bangladesh's former textile and jute minister Golam Dastagir Gazi has been arrested here as the police take stern measures against officials and ministers of the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government, according to media reports on Sunday.

The 76-year-old leader was detained late Saturday night from a house in the Piergoli area of the capital Dhaka around 3 am, The Daily Star newspaper quoted Paltan police station officer-in-charge Mollah Mohammad Khalid Hussain as saying.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police detained him and brought him to the Detective Branch (DB) office, according to The Dhaka Tribune.

Gazi was kept at the DB office as the police station is badly damaged following recent violence, Hussain said, adding that a group of people besieged the house after knowing his location there.

However, the police officer did not provide any details regarding the case for which he was arrested. Earlier, a case of murder was filed against 105 individuals, including Hasina and Gazi, at Rupganj police station in Narayanganj.

Gazi was elected MP from Rupganj-1 constituency in Narayanganj in the 12th parliamentary elections held in January with Awami League's boat symbol.

On Saturday, a Dhaka court placed Salman F Rahman, private industry affairs adviser to Hasina, former law minister Anisul Huq, former social welfare minister Dipu Moni and two others on different terms of remand for interrogation in four murder cases.

Apart from the three, former chief whip ASM Feroz and former army officer Major General Ziaul Ahsan were also placed on remand in murder cases.

Cases have been filed against many officials or ministers of the ousted Hasina-led government after she resigned and fled to India on August 5 following massive protests.

4 more murder cases filed against Hasina

• At least four more murder cases have been filed against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her former cabinet ministers and aides.
• A murder case was filed on Sunday against Hasina, former director general of Border Guard of Bangladesh Gen Aziz Ahmed and 11 others over the death of Abdur Rahim, an official of the then Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) in 2010.
• Another murder case was filed on Sunday against Hasina and 48 others for killing a student during student movement. PTI