Police seek five-day remand of ex-MP Akhtaruzzaman

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Police have petitioned a Dhaka court for a five-day remand of former lawmaker and freedom fighter Major (retd) Akhtaruzzaman, who stands accused of disrupting order and obstructing officials at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport amid a severe luggage and trolley shortage.

Airport Police Sub-Inspector Majedul Islam submitted the petition to the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate's Court on Saturday afternoon, according to court sources. The investigating officer contended that Akhtaruzzaman must be interrogated to establish whether any group had provoked him with the intention of tarnishing Bangladesh's image; consequently, police requested his custody for five days. The Detective Branch had arrested him from his residence in the capital's Cantonment area on Friday, and he was subsequently held in the court lock-up pending the remand hearing.

According to the case statement, a Bangladesh Biman flight from Medina, BG-338, experienced delays in baggage delivery on Thursday amid heavy passenger congestion, which provoked widespread frustration among travellers. When airport Executive Director Group Captain SM Ragib Samad arrived to defuse the situation, Akhtaruzzaman allegedly verbally abused him, pushed him by the neck and threatened to assault him. Furthermore, individuals accompanying the former lawmaker reportedly began filming inside a restricted area, prompting Security Supervisor Warrant Officer Mohammad Kamal Uddin to intervene.

The statement further alleges that Akhtaruzzaman responded by verbally abusing and physically harassing the security official. Moreover, he is accused of hurling Zamzam water bottles at ordinary passengers and behaving aggressively towards a representative of Biman Bangladesh Airlines. Akhtaruzzaman joined Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on December 13, 2025.

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