Custodial Death of Jonny: Suspended SI claims innocence at court
All five accused including a suspended sub-inspector of Pallabi Police Station in their self-defence statements at a Dhaka court yesterday claimed themselves to be innocent in a case filed over custodial death of Ishtiaque Ahmed Jonny.
The five -- suspended SI Zahidur Rahman Zahid, same police station assistant sub-inspectors Qamruzzaman Mintu and Rashedul Islam, and their informants Sumon and Russell -- also demanded justice in the case.
They delivered the self-defence statements after Judge KM Emrul Kayesh of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court had read out charges from statements of 22 prosecution witnesses, court sources said.
Of the accused, Zahid and Sumon are in jail while the rest three are on bail.
The judge fixed February 17 for arguments in the case.
On February 8, 2014, a group of 25-26 policemen, including SI Zahid, raided a house during a wedding ceremony in Pallabi’s Irani camp area and arrested Jonny. Informer Sumon and two of his friends including Russell called police after Jonny slapped Sumon for stalking women at the programme.
Police allegedly tortured Jonny, a jhut trader, at the police station.
As he fell sick, he was admitted to a local clinic. Later, he was transferred to Suhrawardy Hospital where doctors declared him dead on July 13 the same year.
On August 8, 2014, the victim’s younger brother, Imtiaz Hossain Rocky, filed a case with the Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court of Dhaka.
On February 17, 2015, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Maruf Hossain conducted a judicial inquiry, found involvement of Zahid and the other four,and submitted a judicial inquiry report to the Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court of Dhaka.
On April 17 in 2016, the court framed charges against the five.
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