Palak Pleads for Justice: Former ICT Minister Denies Charges in Court
Former State Minister for ICT, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, has claimed in court that he was confined within the National Parliament building from the morning of August 5 until 2:30 AM the following night, alongside fellow lawmakers, during the fall of the Awami League government. Among those present with him in the room was then Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and 11 others. According to Palak, the group was later rescued by the military.
Palak made these revelations during a hearing on Wednesday, April 23, at the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate GM Farhan Ishtiaq.
During the session, Palak requested a minute from the court before stating, “False allegations have been brought against me. I am responding to the date and time of the incident mentioned in the case. On August 5, from evening until 2:30 AM, I was confined inside the National Parliament with the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and 12 others. The Parliament was attacked that day. We were later rescued by the army. False allegations have been brought against me. I seek justice.”
He further added, “So far, 86 days of remand have been granted. If necessary, permission for questioning at the jail gate may be given.”
In response, Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqi said, “Palak was one of five individuals who made statements to suppress the movement. He assisted the killing by shutting down the internet. It would be ridiculous to claim that he was not involved. Both the one who committed the murder and the one who assisted are equally guilty.”
After hearing arguments from both sides, the court rejected Palak's plea and granted a two-day remand in connection with a murder case filed at Vatara Police Station. He was officially shown arrested in the case on February 6.
Earlier, on April 21, Palak had also complained from jail about two of his winter sweaters going missing. He stated that if he is to remain in prison until the next winter, he would need to arrange for new sweaters. His lawyer also informed the media of the missing garments.
However, Senior Jail Superintendent of Kashimpur High Security Prison, Abdullah Al Mamun, dismissed the complaint as baseless and fabricated. He explained, “Upon learning about the alleged loss, I instructed my officers to investigate. It was later discovered that Palak’s sweaters and winter clothes were stored in the prison storeroom. His wife had recently visited the prison, and Palak handed over his winter garments to a guard for her. But due to oversight, the prison staff forgot about it.”
Abdullah Al Mamun further stated, “After the visitation period ended that day, a bag was found lying around. Since the owner could not be identified at that time, it was returned to the prison storeroom.”
In response to Palak’s complaint in court, the prison superintendent remarked, “Zunaid Ahmed Palak often makes bizarre claims just to stay in the spotlight. This claim about lost sweaters is one such example. There is no opportunity for an inmate’s personal belongings to go missing from prison.”
Palak was arrested on August 14 last year from the Nikunja area in Khilkhet amid the collapse of the Awami League government following a mass uprising. Since then, he has been interrogated under remand in several cases, including charges of murder and attempted murder. Courts have granted a total of 58 days of remand for him across six different cases.
