Acting Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and former lawmaker Professor Mujibur Rahman has issued the following statement on 25th October 2023 protesting and condemning the unlawful arrest of Jamaat's central executive committee member, party's media and publicity secretary and Islami Chhatrashibir's former central president Advocate Matiur Rahman Akanda from his house this morning.
I am vehemently condemning the latest incident as the law enforcement agencies picked up Matiur Rahman Akanda from his residence without any lawful reason and subsequently showed him arrested in a false case. The authority has done it just to harass him politically.
Matiur Rahman Akanda is a distinguished lawyer of Bangladesh Supreme Court. He became ill suddenly and severely on last 21st October and consequently he was admitted in the United hospital of the capital. He went through open heart surgery several years back and for last couple of days, he has been suffering from various physical complications.
Under such circumstances, police cordoned his house from 24th October midnight. Mr. Akanda was scheduled to visit the hospital for treatment on 25th October. Accordingly, when he came down for going to the hospital, the deployed policemen urged him to go with them. Matiur Rahman Akanda informed them about the urgency of going hospital. The policemen assured him to take to Dhaka Medical College hospital. Even they brought an ambulance for him. But finally, instead of taking him in Dhaka medical college hospital, they took him directly to the court. They showed him arrested as a suspect in a case, filed with Uttara west police station (case no. 20(10)22).
There was no arrest of warrant against him before. The incident of arresting such a critical heart patient is completely unlawful, unjustified and inhuman. His physical conditions may deteriorate under the police custody.
Acting Ameer said, when the countrymen took to the street for restoring voting rights and democracy, the government at that time is trying to subdue the movement by continuing repression, torture and arrest drives. I want to assert that the government will not be able to foil the ongoing movement by such oppression.
I am urging the government to consider the risky physical condition of Advocate Matiur Rahman Akanda and to grant him bail so that he can receive his due treatment under the care of his family. Otherwise, if any accident takes place, the government has to take its liability.
