Abu Jakir :
In a dramatic twist of fate, former Appellate Division Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik, once a prominent and controversial figure in Bangladesh’s judiciary, was discovered lying on banana leaves near the Sylhet border on Friday night as he attempted to flee to India.
This incident starkly contrasts the luxurious lifestyle he enjoyed during the Awami League government’s tenure, where he was known for his close ties to the administration.
Justice Manik was detained by local residents near the Dana border area in the Kanaighat upazila of Sylhet.
His arrest was confirmed by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), who took him into custody for questioning before handing him over to the police.
Nazim Uddin, a local Union Parishad member, recounted the events of that night, stating he received a call about an unfamiliar man attempting to cross the border into India.
Acting on this tip, the BGB was alerted and subsequently discovered Manik in a dishevelled state, lying on banana leaves in a hilly jungle near the Indian border.
The irony of the situation did not escape the public, as Manik, once a figure of authority, was found in such a low condition.
After his arrest, Manik was taken into custody at a BGB camp, where he was questioned for a while before being transferred to the police station around midnight.
During his questioning, local Union Parishad member Nazim Uddin was present nearby.
He explained that the area where Justice Manik was apprehended is a hilly jungle near the Indian border, with Khasia villages nearby.
Local journalists reported that there is a jungle spanning about half a kilometre along the Bangladesh-India border. After crossing the Khasia villages, a major road can be found.
BGB members were dispatched to the scene upon receiving the tip about a person attempting to escape.
Upon arrival, they found Manik lying on a banana leaf. The BGB members then detained him and asked him several questions, some of which were later shared on social media.
In a video circulated online, a BGB member can be heard asking, “Where is your home?” Manik replied that he was from Munshiganj.
When asked for his name, he responded, “My name is Justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik.”
The BGB member then sarcastically remarked, “Justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik? The same Manik who insulted a presenter on Channel I a few days ago” Manik admitted to this and said he had later apologised to the presenter.
When questioned about his reason for fleeing to India, Manik said, “I am fleeing out of fear… fear of the administration.”
He also revealed that he was fleeing with a British passport, a Bangladeshi passport, money, and some debit and credit cards.
However, those assisting him in his escape had taken 60-70 lakh taka from him and had beaten him across the border.
Justice Manik was later taken to court on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. He was presented before Judicial Magistrate-1 Alamgir Hossain’s court in Sylhet, as reported by our Sylhet bureau.
Eyewitnesses recounted that as former Justice Manik was being escorted to the court, several people threw eggs and shoes at him. Some even attempted to physically attack him, but the police ensured his safe arrival at the court under strict security.
This arrest follows closely on the heels of a recent legal case filed against Justice Manik, Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon, and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSoD) President Hasanul Haque Inu for making derogatory remarks about BNP founder and former President Ziaur Rahman.
The case, filed in Dhaka’s Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court, accuses Manik of calling Ziaur Rahman a “Razakar” during an October 2022 talk show on Channel i.
The court has ordered the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate the matter.
Justice Manik’s career has been riddled with controversy.
A Supreme Court lawyer recently urged the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate allegations that Manik failed to pay rent on a government-provided house after his retirement.
The lawyer’s notice stated that after leaving office, Manik continued to occupy a government house in Gulshan for over a year without paying rent, gas, or water bills, amounting to 1.419 million taka.
Throughout his career, Manik was closely associated with the Awami League government.
Appointed as Deputy Attorney General in 1996, he played a role in the Sheikh Mujib murder case and was later appointed as a temporary High Court judge.
However, his appointment was not made permanent when the BNP came to power in 2001.
In 2009, with the Awami League’s return to power, Manik was reinstated as a judge, reigniting controversies surrounding him. One of the most notable controversies involved his verdict in the Colonel Taher murder case, where he described the trial as a “cold-blooded murder” and labelled Ziaur Rahman a “cold-blooded killer.”
His outspoken nature continued to stir debate, particularly when he publicly clashed with then Chief Justice Surendra Sinha in 2015.
The conflict led to his removal from a bench and his subsequent request for Sinha’s impeachment just days before his retirement.