Dhaka, Aug 5 (IANS) A Bangladeshi court has sent a minor school boy to jail after he was produced before a judge in connection with a case filed by the police under the country’s Anti-Terrorism Act, local media reported.

The 14-year-old boy, identified as Md. Rimon, is a 10th-grade student at Char Mehar Azizia High School in Ramgati upazila of Lakshmipur district.

Confirming the development, Defence lawyer Abdur Rob Sumon said, "The boy is very young; he is not yet old enough to be involved in politics. According to his birth certificate, he is 14 years and 2 months old. We had filed a humanitarian bail application in court on his behalf, but the judge rejected it,” Bangladeshi media outlet NTV online reported.

Citing case documents and prosecution sources, NTV reported that police arrested Rimon from the Char Mehar area on the afternoon of August 2. However, the original case statement identified him as “Bachchu Prakash Ripon” and recorded his age as 19 years.

Reports suggest that the name and age mentioned in the case documents did not match those on his birth certificate. Later, when the case was submitted to the court, the investigating officer, Mizanur Rahman, corrected the name in the documents and recorded his age as 13 years, 11 months and 29 days.

The case stems from an incident on May 30, when Awami League’s student wing Chhatra League leaders and activists gathered at the Madhya Purba Alexander Government Primary School and Multipurpose Disaster Shelter in Char Algi Union, held a brief procession with slogans, and recorded a video of the event.

On June 4, Ramgati Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Moynal Hossain lodged a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act, against 12 individuals, including Rimon, on charges of disrupting public safety and law and order.

Condemning the arrest, Bangladesh’s Awami League accused the authorities of using the Anti-Terrorism Act as a "political weapon" to imprison a tenth-grade student, describing the move as an “abuse of power” and “blatant interference in the justice system.”

“By disregarding children's rights, the rule of law, and even the most basic human rights, the police administration, backed by those in power, is pushing the country toward extreme disorder. The incident involving 14-year-old schoolboy Rimon in Ramgati, Lakshmipur, is a terrifying reflection of this reality. Using a serious law such as the Anti-Terrorism Act as a political weapon to send a tenth-grade student to prison cannot be considered a sign of good governance. It is nothing more than an abuse of power and blatant interference in the justice system,” Awami League stated.

“Ignoring his birth certificate, falsely recording his name and age, and subjecting a minor to repression without even the minimum legal review demonstrate that the current administration is suffering from political bankruptcy. In its obsession with suppressing opponents, it has now reached the point where even the country's children are not spared,” it added.

--IANS

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