'Where do they get the audacity?'

The High Court yesterday observed that some officers-in-charge (OC) of police stations set up “courts” at night at their convenience, to conduct arbitrations regarding various incidents.

How do they do so, and from where do they get such audacity, the court questioned, adding that the whole police force suffers from bad reputation due to some 13,000 personnel posted at police stations. 

Many policemen lead hard lives, while others have beautiful expensive houses, the court said. “Has the country become a state of thieves?”

The HC bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader came up with the observation while hearing a writ petition challenging legality of refusal by the OC of Satkhira's Shyamnagar Police Station, to register a case for torturing one Md Fazlur Karim and looting his valuables.

The court set April 7 for further hearing and passing order on the petition, Advocate Md Shamsul Huq Kanchan, lawyer for the writ petitioner, told The Daily Star.

Citing the petition, he said one Yusuf Ali and his men attacked and tortured Fazlur at Sora village under Shyamnagar Police Station on the night of February 17.

They also looted Tk 2 lakh, two gold chains and valuables worth Tk 50,000 from Fazlur and damaged the wall of his house, the lawyer said.

Advocate Shamsul said Fazlur informed the incident to OC of Shyamnagar Police Station Habil Hossain during the incident over cellphone and requested the OC to help him.

But, the OC refused to help, saying that he was busy with other work, he said, adding that Fazlur then informed the incident writing to the superintendent of police (SP) of Satkhira.

The SP on February 26 asked OC Habil to take appropriate legal steps over the incident, but OC Habil did not register any case.

Fazlur on March 3 submitted the writ petition to the HC challenging the legality of OC Habil's refusal to record the case.

During hearing of the petition yesterday, Assistant Attorney General Saiful Alam told the court that Shyamnagar Police Station has submitted a report to the SP of Satkhira over the incident, and he will collect the report and place it to the court.