Ariful–alive to reveal his ordeal
It is a frightening thought that had Ariful Islam, the Kurigram correspondent of Bangla Tribune, not been granted bail, we may not have known the terrifying ordeal of a citizen being picked up, mercilessly tortured and even threatened with "crossfire". It is because many individuals have been similarly picked up only to end up as bodies, either during "shootouts" or after "falling ill" while in custody. Thankfully, Ariful is alive to tell the tale of arbitrary arrest and torture.
According to news reports, Senior Assistant Commissioner Nazim Uddin of Kurigram, along with police and Ansar men, and two magistrates, broke into Ariful's home, beat him up, blindfolded him and then dragged him into a vehicle. A mobile court then sentenced him to one year in prison on charges of possessing drugs. It has been alleged that Ariful was framed because of his reports on the alleged corruption of Kurigram's DC.
It is reassuring to note that the High Court has taken some decisive steps after a writ petition was filed by the executive editor of the paper Ariful worked for. The HC has asked for the reason behind Ariful's sentencing of one year in jail as well as the copy of the verdict, and challenged the legality of Ariful's arrest and conviction. It has also asked the government whether rules about entering someone's home at midnight was followed and whether it was necessary for the involvement of 30 to 40 people.
The details of Ariful's arrest and the way he was tortured and threatened with death from crossfire gives a picture of how upholders of the law can become the biggest abusers of the law. The incident occurred after Ariful had written a report on how Kurigram DC Sultana Pervin had re-excavated and renovated a pond with government funds and individual donations and named the pond after herself. Ariful's colleagues and family believe that this invited the wrath of the DC. The way he was picked up and tortured makes it difficult not to believe this allegation. Nazim Uddin, moreover, is notorious for torturing people—there is video footage of him torturing an elderly man.
So what are we to deduce from this terrifying incident? That anyone, anywhere, can be picked up in the middle of the night, be blindfolded and then beaten and left to rot in jail without due process? That it is very easy to incriminate a person on false charges? That a person may come out of such a situation alive only when he has some influence or if his case is widely publicised on social media?
The DC has been withdrawn from her post. We fervently hope that the authorities will be able to answer the questions asked by the HC and seriously take steps to address the human rights violations that take place when a person is picked up by members of law enforcement and taken away. The culture of arbitrary arrest, torture and death in custody of people who are denied due process of the law must stop.
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