Staff Reporter :
A Dhaka court on Sunday granted bail to rickshaw-puller Mohammad Azizur Rahman, who was beaten by a mob while trying to pay tribute to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Dhanmondi 32 on 15 August.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate MA Azharul Islam approved the bail petition on a Tk1,000 bond.
Defence lawyer Farzana Yasmin Rakhi confirmed the development, saying Azizur had been unfairly implicated in an attempted murder case linked to last year’s Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.
Azizur’s wife, Chumki Khatun, appeared in court carrying their 10-month-old child. Speaking to reporters, she said, “My husband is not involved in politics. He went there out of emotion. Now that he has been granted bail, I am happy.”
During the hearing, defence counsel Rakhi argued, “The accused is a poor rickshaw-puller. He went to Dhanmondi 32 to pay tribute and was assaulted. Later, police linked him to a pending case. He earns hand-to-mouth, and even his rickshaw has been taken away.”
According to the case file, on 4 August 2024, a man named Ariful Islam was leading a procession from New Market to Science Lab when Azizur and others allegedly opened fire and hurled petrol bombs.
Ariful was critically injured after being shot in the back and required two months of treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He later filed an attempted murder case with Dhanmondi Police Station.
On 15 August this year, Azizur was detained from Dhanmondi 32 after being beaten by a mob while laying flowers at the Bangabandhu Memorial.
At the time, he told police: “I am not involved with any political party. I came only because I love Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. I bought this bouquet with Tk400 that I earned after a full day’s work.”
The incident sparked public outrage, prompting the interim government to seek clarification from the officer-in-charge of Dhanmondi Model Police Station over why Azizur was shown arrested in a sensitive case after the assault.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police has since launched an internal review to examine inconsistencies in the handling of the matter.
In a statement issued on Sunday, DMP clarified that Azizur had not been shown arrested in any murder case.
However, under the amended Section 173(A) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the government has directed investigators to submit the probe report on Azizur’s alleged involvement without delay.
