A Dhaka court has ordered former Cantonment Police Station chief Mohammad Rakibul Hasan to be held in police custody for five days in a treason case stemming from an audio recording circulated on social media.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Didarul Alam issued the order late Thursday after hearing a seven-day remand petition filed by the case’s investigating officer.
Prosecutors said the remand was necessary to question Rakibul over allegations that he made anti-state and provocative remarks and was involved with unidentified individuals in activities allegedly aimed at undermining state stability.
Police also alleged that the accused made derogatory and hostile remarks about senior government officials, law enforcement agencies and other state institutions.
Rakibul’s lawyer, Morshed Hossain Shaheen, sought cancellation of the remand and bail, arguing that the allegations were exaggerated and lacked specific evidence. He also questioned reports that Rakibul had previously been held at the Detective Branch office for seven days without a clear legal explanation.
The defence maintained that Rakibul was not involved in the alleged offences and described the case as politically motivated. Prosecutors opposed the defence plea.
The case was filed after an audio recording purportedly featuring Rakibul went viral on social media. In the recording, the speaker discusses the possible return of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to Bangladesh and makes remarks about the government, administration, military and police.
The speaker is heard saying that if Hasina returned in December, the police would not be able to prevent her from entering the country.
Rakibul has denied that the recording is genuine. In a Facebook post, he claimed that it had been created using artificial intelligence.
Following the circulation of the recording on September 17, Dhaka Metropolitan Police removed Rakibul from his post as Cantonment police chief and attached him to DMP headquarters and its administration division, citing “administrative reasons.”
The DMP subsequently formed a three-member committee to investigate the recording. Rakibul was later questioned by the Detective Branch before being shown arrested in the treason case.
The latest court order comes as the DMP has appointed Inspector Mohammad Gias Uddin as the new officer-in-charge of Cantonment Police Station.
The allegations against Rakibul remain subject to investigation and judicial proceedings.
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