Former state minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak has claimed innocence, saying he has committed no crime.
He made the statement as he was being brought to court on Wednesday morning for a hearing on whether he would be shown arrested in a case filed over the death of a man named Ramzan Miah in West Rampura during the July uprising.
At around 10am, as he was brought into the courtroom, he greeted the journalists present and said he had been reading books in prison.
When a journalist asked him if he would apologize for the events of the July uprising, Palak replied that he had committed no crime and maintained his innocence.
While standing in the dock, Palak spoke with his lawyer Farzana Yeasmin.
He told her that he was suffering from lower back pain and had been exercising regularly in prison.
To alleviate the pain, he said, he had started using a belt for back support.
Later, the investigating officer of the case, Sub-Inspector Purna Chisham of Hatirjheel police station, requested the court to show Palak arrested in the case.
At that point, Palak's lawyer informed the court that he wished to say something.
The court replied that he would have to wait until the arrest request was granted.
Dhaka Metropolitan Court Public Prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqi also opposed allowing Palak to speak.
The court eventually granted the request to show Palak arrested, but did not permit him to speak.
Regarding this, Farzana said that Palak was struggling to move properly due to his back pain.
He had been exercising in prison, but now needed therapy, she added.
She said they would submit a petition to the court seeking proper medical treatment for him.
According to the case details, during the July uprising on July 19, Ramzan Miah joined a protest on Wapda Road in West Rampura.
Around 10am, he was injured by gunfire allegedly from the accused and died on the way to the hospital.
The case was filed with Hatirjheel police station on May 26.
Palak was arrested on August 15 last year. Since then, he has been interrogated in various murder and attempted murder cases under remand.
