6 cops sued for torture in custody
Six police personnel of Chittagong Metropolitan Police were sued yesterday for allegedly torturing a Chhatra League leader in police custody after a clash between some BCL activists and police near Chittagong Medical College Hospital on January 20.
Yasin Shakhawat Bhuiyan Romen, elder brother of victim Yasin Awaj Bhuiyan Rownok, filed the case accusing an inspector, an assistant sub-inspector, two nayek and two constables with Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Chittagong Abu Salem Md Noman.
The accused are: Inspector Jahirul Islam, ASI Shilbrata Barua, Nayek Hamidur Rahman, Nayek Amir Hossain and constables Mahmudur Rahman and Firoj Mia, said court sources. They are posted at CMCH police outpost.
Rownok, 26, son of Abdul Matin Bhuiyan, is the organising secretary of city's Omargani MES College unit BCL and also a BBA final-year student at the college, said his brother Romen.
Meanwhile, another Chittagong court yesterday sent two people, including Rownok, to jail after they were produced before the court in a police assault case filed with city's Panchlaish Police Station on January 20.
Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, Rownok's lawyer Iftekhar Saimul Chowdhury said, "Taking cognisance of the case, the court ordered Police Bureau of Investigation to investigate the incident. It also asked the CMCH authorities to form a medical board for better treatment of Rownok and submit the report as soon as possible examining his health."
The six police personnel and eight to nine other unidentified policemen of the CMCH outpost took Rownok to the outpost and tortured him inhumanly after some youths clashed with police at CMCH emergency gate on January 20, he added.
According to the case statement, there had been an altercation between some people and a plainclothes policeman over a trivial matter. At one stage, they were locked in a clash.
At that time, Rownok was passing the area on his way home. Police detained him and dragged him into the CMCH police outpost. Police then beat him up indiscriminately, the statement added.
Victim's brother Romen said his brother was admitted to CMCH after the incident and he was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday.
“Showing him arrested in the police assault case, police produced Rownok before a court and sought remand for him,” Romen added.
But the court rejected the remand prayer, said lawyer Saimul.
Assistant Commissioner (Prosecution) Kazi Shahabuddin Ahmed said the court ordered police to interrogate Rownok at the jail gate, rejecting the bail prayer.
Contacted, Inspector Jahirul said, “I was not there during the clash and the allegation of beating up Rownok is false.”
On January 20, a BCL man assaulted constable Mahmud after an altercation over a trifle. Later, some BCL leaders and activists joined him and attacked police, injuring constable Firoj. On information, Panchlaish police rushed to the spot and detained Rownok, said Jahirul.
Jahirul claimed that Rownok was present on the spot and was also injured during the clash.