Former State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak told a Dhaka court on Wednesday (April 23) that he, Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, and 12 others hid in a room inside the parliament building during the violent unrest on August 5 last year.

Palak made the statement during a remand hearing at the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate GM Farhan Ishtiaq in connection with the murder of painter Abdul Jabbar, who was shot dead during protests in the capital's Badda area.

According to Palak, the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had fled to India earlier that day, prompting protestors to enter key government installations, including Ganabhaban and the Parliament premises.

"On the evening of August 5, the Parliament building was attacked. We remained confined inside until 2:30am. The army later rescued us," Palak told the court, adding that the charges against him were politically motivated and untrue. 

He requested the court allow any further interrogation to be conducted at the jail gate.

Police had sought a three-day remand, while Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Omar Farooq Farooqi argued Palak was among five figures accused of suppressing the protest movement and enabling violence by disrupting internet access. 

"Those who commit murder and those who facilitate it are equally guilty," the prosecutor said.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court granted police a two-day remand.

Palak, arrested on August 14 from Dhaka’s Khilkhet area, has since been held in connection with multiple cases related to the anti-discrimination movement. He was previously stopped at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on August 6 while attempting to travel to New Delhi.

BDST: 1443 HRS, APR 23, 2025
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