8 cops closed over death of vendor
Eight policemen were closed to the police lines in Tangail yesterday for their alleged involvement in the death of a man.
They are Gopalpur Police Station’s Sub-Inspector Abu Taher, Assistant Sub-Inspector Ashraful Alam, and constables Farid Ahmed, Golam Mostofa, Abdus Sattar, Khairul Kabir, Salman Sadik Sajal and Saddam Hossain, said police.
According to witnesses, a group of plain clothes men severely beat up Abdul Hakim, 50, a meat vendor in Gopalpur upazila, and four others on Friday afternoon on the campus premises of Jhaoail Technical College in the district.
At one point, the law enforcers left the spot with four detainees, leaving Abdul senseless, witnesses alleged.
Hearing the news, local union parishad chairman went to the spot and rushed Abdul to Gopalpur Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared him dead.
Alim Al Raji, upazila health officer of Gopalpur, said they found injury marks on the body of Abdul that indicates that he was beaten.
Contacted, Hasan Al Mamun, officer-in-charge of Gopalpur Police Station, denied police involvement in the incident.
According to him, police raided the area on information that a group of people were gambling there. Police detained four people from the spot. Abdul was one of the two who fled the scene during the raid.
Later, police came to know that Abdul was dead, he added.
The death of Abdul created an outrage among the locals. Several hundred agitating villagers gathered in front of the main gate of the upazila health complex and started protesting.
At that time, protesters and cops got engaged in a chase counter-chase that left at least five people injured.
The villagers later blocked Madhupur-Gopalpur road for around four hours.
Local lawmaker Tanvir Hasan and Superintendent of Tangail Police Sanjit Kumar Roy visited the spot and brought the situation under control.
Abdul’s body was sent to Tangail General Hospital morgue for autopsy.
Police would take legal action against the culprits after receiving the autopsy report, said Amir Khasru, assistant superintendent of police (Gopalpur circle) in Tangail.
Meanwhile, a three-member committee was formed to investigate the matter on the order of Sanjit Kumar, superintendent of Tangail police.
The probe committee is headed by Masudur Rahman Monir, additional superintendent of Tangail police.
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