Ruling party lawmaker Golam Maula Rony last night was moved to a Kashimpur jail, hours after he was taken to Dhaka Central Jail.
Forman Ali, senior superintendent of Dhaka Central Jail, told the Dhaka Tribune last night that Rony was shifted to a Kashimpur jail upon directives of the higher authorities.
In the afternoon, a Dhaka court rejected his bail plea and ordered him jail in connection with the assault of two journalists of Independent Television on July 20.
“Being an elected lawmaker, MP Rony was given divisional status and allotted a division cell named ‘Champakoli’ at the Dhaka Central Jail,” the senior jail officer said.
Apart from the common facilities, the detained lawmaker would be enjoying television, refrigerator, fans, daily newspaper and books in the division cell.
The Kashimpur jail, however, is built with additional facilities for the VIP prisoners.
Forman Ali said: “The MP entered the Dhaka central Jail around 3:45pm. As he had observed fasting yesterday, he was provided with ifter items and dinner by the jail authorities.”
Enquired, he claimed that Rony was not provided any phone. He also said none of the MP’s family visited him at the jail.
“But I met him after his arrival at the jail,” Forman Ali said.
The lawmaker from Patuakhali 3 constituency was arrested on Wednesday afternoon after his interim bail was cancelled by a Dhaka court.
Around 12:30pm yesterday, the law enforcers with no prayer for detention or remand prayers produced the ruling Awami League MP at the court of Metropolitan Magistrate SM Ashiqur Rahman.
Rony’s lawyer, however, submitted two separate petitions – one for bail and the other for arrangement of medical treatment for his client.
Lawyer of the victims opposed the bail prayer mentioning that investigation in the case the television authorities filed could be influenced if the MP was not kept in jail.
After a hearing, the court around 1:30pm ordered Rony jail rejecting the pleas. The period in between he was taken to the court and before he was moved for jail, Rony was produced at the court room.
According to the case, Independent TV journalist Imitaz Sony and camera person Muhsin Mukul went to Rony’s office to investigate an alleged transaction of an amount of bribe money. They were allegedly kept confined inside the office for nearly two hours before members of law enforcement agencies and journalist leaders rescued them.
Sony and Mukul were working with a weekly crime show called “Talash.”