A court in Dhaka has ordered that former Jhenaidah-3 Member of Parliament Nobi Newaz be formally shown arrested in connection with the killing of a garment worker during the July 2024 mass protests in the capital.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Ehesanul Islam issued the order on Monday after police submitted a petition seeking his arrest in the case.
Investigating officer Detective Branch Inspector Mohammad Tipu Sultan, attached to the Tejgaon Division, produced the former lawmaker before the court and requested the order. Following the hearing, the court directed that he be returned to prison.
The development was confirmed by Md Mizanur Rahman, a sub-inspector assigned to the prosecution division.
Nobi Newaz had already been in custody since his arrest by the detective branch on 11 April.
His lawyer, Shamsur Rahman Badal, argued before the court that his client had secured bail from the High Court in a separate case and accused the authorities of using a fresh case to keep him in custody before his release.
The defence also maintained that the former MP was not named in the first information report (FIR). Counsel urged the court not to approve the arrest, citing his client’s advanced age and deteriorating health.
According to the prosecution, the case stems from events on 5 August 2024, when garment worker Rubel joined hundreds of students and other demonstrators in a protest march along Ring Road in Dhaka’s Adabor area.
Investigators allege that police, together with members and supporters of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations, opened fire on the procession. Rubel sustained gunshot wounds and was later pronounced dead after being taken to a nearby hospital.
The victim’s father, Rafiqul Islam, filed the case with Adabor Police Station on 22 August 2024.
The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
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