Ex-bureaucrat Jaglul Pasha jailed in Khaleda Zia attempted murder case

Former joint secretary Syed Jaglul Pasha was sent to jail today (5 August) in a case over the alleged attempted murder of former prime minister Khaleda Zia outside her Gulshan residence in December 2013.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Kamal Uddin passed the order this afternoon and fixed tomorrow for hearing a police petition seeking his remand for 10 days, Sub-Inspector Mokhtar Hossain of the Dhaka Metropolitan Prosecution Division confirmed.

The Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested Pasha from his Bashundhara residence at around 1:30am on Tuesday.

Inspector Anwar Hossain of the Gulshan Zonal Team produced him before the court today and sought his remand for 10 days.

The remand petition said Pasha was the 17th named accused in the case. Police said questioning him could help uncover the facts and arrest other fugitive accused.

According to the case statement, Pasha and 110 other named accused, along with 250 to 300 unidentified people carrying lethal weapons, took positions outside Khaleda's Gulshan residence on 28 December 2013.

They allegedly assaulted BNP leaders and activists throughout the day, blocked nearby roads and created fear to prevent Khaleda from attending a political rally.

The following morning, when Khaleda prepared to leave for the rally with her entourage, the accused allegedly blocked surrounding roads with sand-laden trucks and other vehicles.

The case statement alleged that they continued to obstruct her despite repeated attempts to leave and used pepper spray with the intent to kill her, injuring Khaleda and several BNP leaders and activists.

Shariful Islam Shawon, a former joint secretary of the Rajshahi University Latif Hall Chhatra Dal unit, filed the case with Gulshan Police Station in October 2024.

Police said Pasha is also accused of fabricating documents and giving false testimony in the Zia Orphanage Trust case against Khaleda Zia.