A Dhaka court has placed Mayur-2 launch master Abul Basher on a three-day remand in the case filed for the Buriganga launch capsize that occurred on June 29.
A virtual court in Dhaka Additional Judicial Magistrate AFM Maruf Chowdhury passed the order after Sadarghat River Police station Sub-Inspector (SI) Md Shahidul Alam, who is also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, produced Basher before the court seeking a 10-day remand for interrogation on Tuesday.
Opposing the remand petition, defence lawyers submitted a bail petition and also filed a remand rejection petition before the court for their client, but the court rejected the bail plea and granted three-day remand after a hearing.
Earlier on Monday, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested 57-year-old Basher from Dhaka’s Hasnabad area under South Keraniganj.
Last week, another Dhaka court placed Mosaddek Hanif Soad, the owner of Mayur-2, on a three-day remand after he was arrested from Dhaka’s Sobhanbag area.
However, Abdus Salam, supervisor of the Mayur-2 launch, who was arrested and placed on a three-day remand on June 7, was sent to jail after the IO of the case produced him before the court.
A case was filed with the South Keraniganj police station on June 30 in connection with the launch capsize; Basher is the second accused in the case.
On June 29, at least 32 people were killed when a small launch called Morning Bird sank in the Buriganga River after a larger one in reverse crashed into it near the Farashganj Ghat in Dhaka.
As footage from a CCTV camera in Sadarghat, on the other side of the river, revealed, and according to the authorities and witnesses, the Morning Bird capsized in seconds after the bigger launch, Mayur-2, crashed into it while travelling backwards.
The three-deck Mayur-2 was on its way to the dock at Sadarghat's terminal for Chandpur-bound vessels after unloading passengers at the Lalkuthi terminal.
Citing witnesses and rescuers, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Chairman Commodore Golam Sadeq said at least 20 passengers of the Morning Bird had managed to swim ashore after the vessel sank.
Later, Fire Service and Civil Defence officials confirmed that divers had found a man miraculously alive inside a closed-off compartment of the capsized vessel 13 hours after it sank.
BIWTA and the Shipping Ministry formed two committees to investigate the incident, while the authorities impounded the Mayur-2.
