Ziaul claims Aynaghar not his brainchild, put on 8-day remand
Sacked military officer Major General Ziaul Ahsan, accused of orchestrating torture and repression on dissidents for the ousted government, denied being the mastermind behind the infamous Aynaghar during a court appearance on Friday.
Ziaul, who was arrested in Dhaka's Khilkhet area early Friday, was brought before Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Arafatul Rakib's court that afternoon. He claimed, "I was sacked on August 7 and kept in Aynaghar for eight days. Aynaghar is not my brainchild. I’m innocent."
Aynaghar, a secret detention centre run by the military intelligence, gained international attention after inmates were released following the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government.
During the hearing, the investigating officer requested a ten-day remand to question Ziaul regarding a murder case. Ziaul's lawyer opposed the remand, applying for bail instead, but the state resisted. Magistrate Arafatul Rakib granted an eight-day remand for Ziaul’s interrogation.
One of the lawyers present in court described Ziaul as "inhumane" and accused him of being the mastermind behind Aynaghar, as well as being involved in numerous enforced disappearances and murders.
Ziaul's counsel, Nazneen Nahar, argued that Aynaghar was not her client's creation, pointing out that Ziaul himself had been detained there for eight days. She emphasised that any actions within the military required approval from the army chief, and she applied for bail on these grounds. She added that Ziaul had retired on August 6 and was detained in Aynaghar starting August 7.
Ziaul Ahsan was appointed as the Director General of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Center (NTMC) by the Ministry of Public Administration in September 2022.
He was commissioned into the Bangladesh Army in 1991 and is a trained commando and paratrooper. He served as Deputy Commander of RAB-2 in 2009 and later became the Director of the Intelligence Wing at the RAB headquarters.
In 2013, he was promoted to Colonel and took on the role of Additional Director General, Intelligence Wing, at RAB Headquarters.
JA/MSU/NMA
