Palak speaks about ‘hiding inside parliament building’ on Aug 5 with others

As many as 12 high profile people, including ex-speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, ex-deputy speaker Shamsul Haque Tuku and former state-minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak, were "hiding in a room inside the National Parliament" from the morning of Aug 5, the day the Awami League government fell, to 2:30am the following day.

Later, the "army rescued them all", former state minister Palak told a court. Palak made the remarks after he was presented at the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mahbubur Rahman for a remand hearing in a case over the murder of Abdul Jabbar during last year's mass uprising.

Palak said, “I’m speaking about the date and time of the incident mentioned in the case. A total of 12 people, including me, the speaker, and deputy speaker, were locked inside the National Parliament from the evening of Aug 5 to 2:30am (the next day). The parliament was attacked on that day. Later, the army rescued us all. I have been falsely framed. I want justice.”

Palak said although the parliament building was attacked, he and a few others were inside it until late at night.

Prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqi said, “He (Palak) confessed that he was hiding inside the parliament. Shirin Sharmin was also there but we have yet to get hold of her.”

The prosecutor added, “Palak was one of the five people who gave constant statements to curb the movement. He assisted in the killings by disconnecting the internet. It would be farcical to say he wasn’t involved in the incident. Those who committed the murders and those who assisted are equal offenders.”

Later, Palak said he was remanded for 86 days. “If necessary you (the court) can order an interrogation at the jail gate.”

According to the case documents, paint worker Abdul Jabbar was shot dead at Badda’s DIG project area around 10:30am on Aug 5, 2024. Palak has been named in the murder case. On Aug 6, the day after the government was toppled, Palak was detained while “trying to leave the country” at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. At that time, the airport officials said Palak was handed over to a “law-enforcing agency”.

Since then, Palak has been remanded several times in murder and attempted murder cases and interrogated. He is facing an investigation over switching off internet service in several rounds during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement. An initial probe at the Ministry of Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology revealed that the internet service was halted, depriving the common people, under Palak’s order.

Police shared the information regarding the arrest of ex-deputy speaker Tuku during the same time as Palak’s arrest. Shirin Sharmin resigned as speaker on Sept 2, last year, 27 days after the fall of the Awami League government.

After Sheikh Hasina resigned from office and fled the country, some of the ousted Awami League ministers, MPs, and other high-ups were able to leave Bangladesh while others went into hiding.

However, some sought refuge from the army as they felt their “lives were at stake”, Army chief Gen Waker-Uz-Zaman had said earlier.

He said anyone accused in a case will face justice and a judicial trial.