Cop 'tortures' tea seller, gets closed
A sub-inspector of Kushtia's Khoksa Police Station has been closed over allegation of torturing a local tea seller in the police station.
SI Shah Ali picked up Shahin Alom, 32, of Khoksa upazila's Kamlapur area, from his tea stall around 3:30pm on Friday without showing any reason and tortured him in custody, the victim said.
He said, “I repeatedly asked him [SI Shah Ali] why he was torturing me but he remained silent.
“The SI tied my hands and legs with rope and beat me up with wooden stick.”
At one point, Shahin lost his sense. Later, police took him to Khoksa Upazila Health Complex around 9:00pm on the same day.
Kamruzzaman Sohel, then on duty physician of the health complex, said Shahin was senseless when he was brought.
“After he [Shahin] regained his sense at the health complex, we urged police to send him to hospital for better treatment but they did not pay any heed.”
“Police left the hospital with the victim around 10:30pm,” the doctor said.
Later, police released Shahin at his home, said the victim.
Asked, Officer-in-Charge of Khoksa Police Station Mehedi Masud said he was not at the station when the incident happened.
Mehedi did not respond when asked if he was not responsible for the station when he was not present.
“There was no case filed against Shahin,” the OC confirmed.
Contacted, SI Shah Ali first denied the allegation and then accepted that Shahin was tortured in custody.
The SI, however, could not provide the reporters with a reason of torture.
“We had information that Shahin was carrying drugs,” the SI said.
Superintendent of Kushtia police Tanvir Arafat said they closed the SI after finding evidence of torture.
“I asked the OC of Khoksa to submit a report within two days,” he further said, adding they would take departmental action against the SI if he was found guilty.
The victim was preparing to get admitted to Kushtia General Hospital for treatment around 9:45pm when this report was filed.
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