Preeti Urang’s Death: Ashfaqul, wife placed on 4-day remand
A Dhaka court yesterday placed Executive Editor of The Daily Star Syed Ashfaqul Haque and his wife Tania Khondoker on a four-day police remand for questioning over the death of a teenage house help, who fell from their residential building in the capital's Mohammadpur last week.
Metropolitan Magistrate Saifur Rahman passed the order after police sought a 10-day remand for the couple.
Last Wednesday, when they were first produced before the court in the case, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Hasibul Haque rejected the police petition for a five-day remand, and asked the investigation officer to question them at the jail gates instead.
Mohammadpur Police Station Sub-inspector Nazmul Hasan quizzed both suspects on Monday, and submitted a report before the court yesterday along with a 10-day remand petition.
In his submission for the remand, the IO said the couple has a CCTV camera inside their house but police have not found any memory card, and that they need to further interrogate the accused to trace the memory card.
When the court asked Ashfaqul about the camera, he said there was no memory card inside it.
The IO also submitted that during separate interrogations in two jail gates, the accused gave some information that need to be verified through face-to-face interrogation.
Defence lawyers Ashraf Ul Alam and Chaitanya Chandra Halder argued against the remand petition, saying both accused have been interrogated separately and together during 36 hours in police custody after their detention immediately after incident.
Additionally, Ashfaqul and Tania were interrogated at the Keraniganj and Kashimpur jail gates as per the court directive, they argued.
The defence lawyers also said that the accused were arrested in a case filed under bailable section. Citing a 2016 Supreme Court ruling, they submitted that in cases filed under bailable sections, the trial courts "shall grant the accused bail".
After hearing both sides, the court granted a four-day remand.
House help Preeti Urang, 15, from Moulvibazar, died after she fell through the opening of the windowpane on the eighth floor of the couple's flat around 8:00am on Tuesday.
Shortly after the incident, police took Ashfaqul and Tania into custody.
Police produced them before the court on Wednesday after the victim's family filed a case under section 304(a) of the penal code, which deals with death caused by negligence.
Meanwhile, Preeti's parents demanded justice from a protest programme held in front of the Jatiya Press Club yesterday.
Separately, Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) and Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation (MSF) expressed deep concern over Preeti's death.
The MSF statement, signed by Sultana Kamal, said the inquest report mentions injury marks on her body, both new and old.
"This heart-rending and tragic incident has incited deep sadness and the utmost outrage among everyone," it said, demanding an independent investigation into the incident and holding those responsible accountable.
The ASK statement signed by its Executive Director Faruq Faisel also demanded a transparent investigation.
ASK also demanded that domestic work be enlisted as hazardous labour, and demanded that steps be taken to make sure that children are not employed as domestic workers.
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