Maria Akhtar, wife of Gono Odhikar Parishad president and former Ducsu vice-president Nurul Haque Nur, said at a press conference on saturday that she had the chance to talk to her husband after eight days in the court premises, where she saw severe injuries all over his body.
"My request to the superiors is not to send him to remand again. Inhuman torture may destroy his life. Give him the opportunity for medical treatment and return Nur to his family. I am his wife; I promise he will not engage in politics again. Return him to us healthy and normal," she said.
She mentioned that Nur described the torture as very brutal and inhumane. "He could not reach the court on his own feet; he came leaning on the shoulders of the police."
Nurul Haque Nur was sent to jail on Friday after five days of remand in a case filed in connection with the attack, vandalism, and arson at Setu Bhaban in Dhaka on July 18. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Shakil Ahamed passed the order after DB Inspector Abu Sayeed Miah, who is investigating the case, produced Nur before the court on completion of the five-day remand.
Present at the press conference were Nur’s wife and two children, his father, and his sister.
After the remand hearing, Nur was taken to the judge's chamber, where the judge talked to him for some time. Later, the court directed the jail authorities to ensure Nur’s treatment as per prison rules and rejected his bail application.
Maria said: "I am an ordinary school teacher in our village. I am currently seven months pregnant; this is my secret which I never wanted to reveal in public. But today I am here to tell you that the case against my husband is false. He is not involved in any terrorism or attack; we want to get him back in good health."
She claimed that Nur was hung upside down and rendered senseless by injection. "We don't know if it was slow poison or something else. We fear for his health."
Maria also said: "At around 3:20am on the 19th of July, my three-year-old daughter was sleeping with her father, holding his neck. At that time, 7-8 people broke down the door and took away Nur in just three minutes. I rushed towards the sound of the door breaking, but I could not say anything. It was a horrible scene."
“Someone, without any pressing of the calling bell, straightaway broke down the door and took him away. I could not see anyone's face as the light was off. I could not understand who they were or why they were taking my husband. They gave no answer. I ran madly after the cars on the road to understand where they were taking my husband. They took 7-8 phones from the house, even the doorman's phone. My only request now is that you do not take time away from the lives of these two children. Do not deprive them of the opportunity to spend this precious time with their father. My elder daughter Taskiya Nur cannot sleep without her father," she added.
"My four-year-old daughter is sick; she has congenital heart disease (PDA). My child is not gaining weight and needs regular treatment. She lives with her father, and I live in the village as I am working there. My other daughter is only one year old," Maria further said.
Nur's father, Idris Hawladar, said: "My son practised politics. When doing politics, people make different comments; all political parties do. If it is a crime, then all political practices should be stopped."
He claimed: "My son could not stand on his own feet in the court premises. I ran to see the injury marks on his hands and feet. I unbuttoned his shirt and saw the marks of inhumane torture all over his body. The policemen there did not stop me."
At the press conference, it was also mentioned that on Friday night, the law enforcement agencies arrested Nur’s secretary, Abu Hanif, and two days earlier, Nur’s younger brother, Aminur, was arrested from the CMM court area.
In the court forwarding report, the IO said that Nur gave important information about recent incidents during the remand period. The DB inspector also appealed to the court to confine him in jail until the investigation is completed.
However, the defence lawyer applied for bail for him, arguing that his client was not involved with the incident. Upon hearing both sides, the magistrate turned down the defence plea and sent Nur to Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.