‘Police submitted the charge sheet without telling us’
Police submitted the charge sheet to a Dhaka court on December 22 last year against two drivers in a case filed over the death of Rajib Hossain, who succumbed to his injuries in April 2018 after getting stuck between two speeding buses. However, the victim’s family was not made aware of the charge sheet’s filing until yesterday.
Sub-inspector Idris Ali of Shahbagh Police Station, also investigation officer of the case, had submitted the charge sheet against BRTC bus driver Wahid Ali Sardar (35), and Sajan Paribahan’s Khorshed Alam (50).
They were charged under section 304 (B) of Bangladesh penal code, which grants imprisonment for three years if proven guilty.
The submission of charge sheet came under the limelight yesterday and the victim’s family alleged that the investigation officer secretly pressed charges.
“The investigation officer in the charge sheet lied that he shared the probe finding with us. They did not do so. We came to know about the charge sheet yesterday through another source,” Jahanara Begum, maternal aunt of Rajib, told The Daily Star.
“Rajib was killed due to the unholy competition of the two buses… It was a murder. We want highest punishment of the drivers,” she said, adding they would file a no-confidence (Naraji) petition soon.
The SI, however, mentioned in the charge sheet that he shared the probe findings.
Lawyer and experts say police could press charges under section 304 of penal code that grant imprisonment for life.
The complainant of the case, Rajib, was a third-year student of Titumir College. He lost his right hand after getting stuck between two speeding buses of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) and Sajan Paribahan while they were trying to overtake each other in Banglamotor area in Dhaka on April 3, 2018.
After two weeks in coma, Rajib died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on April 17.
In the latest development, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Eleas Miah yesterday asked Rajib’s relatives to appear before it on March 11 to say whether they will file any no-confidence petition.
During yesterday’s hearing, the two accused, now on bail from the higher court, were present at the court.
This correspondent called the investigation officer several times and contacted via text message for a comment on the allegation of the victim’s family, but he did not respond at the time of filing this report around 9pm yesterday.
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