Misleading facts in case statement

Sub-Inspector Anwar Hossain, arrested over shooting car driver Shah Alam, has provided misleading information in the case he filed against the victim.

Anwar was arrested after Alam's brother Golam Mostafa filed a case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police on Wednesday afternoon. He was placed on a two-day remand following a Dhaka court order yesterday.

Alam, shot in both legs and shown arrested in an arms case, is now undergoing treatment at National Institute of Traumatology & Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (Nitor).

The High Court yesterday ordered the government to bear his treatment expenses.

SI Anwar of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station filed the case against Alam on Monday for “possessing” an illegal firearm and three rounds of bullet.

The case statement says the SI around 11:50pm on Sunday learnt that an armed gang of seven to eight gathered at Taltola to commit crimes. He informed his superiors about the matter before going to the spot.

But Abdul Momen, then officer-in-charge of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, said the sub-inspector around 9:00pm on Sunday informed him about “a raid to be conducted to nab a criminal”.  He was not told about any gang. 

Later around midnight, he learnt from Anwar that a “gunfight had taken place at Taltola and a firearm had been recovered from a mugger”.

Momen was transferred to the Detective Branch of police on Wednesday. 

Biplob Kumar Sarkar, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), came to know about “a gunfight, recovery of a firearm and bullets and arrest of a criminal accused in several cases” about one and a half hours after the victim was taken to the hospital.

Bullet-hit Alam was admitted to Nitor at 12:40am on Monday, according to the hospital's record book. He was detained and under police custody when he was taken to the hospital.

Biplob said the SI informed him about the events around 1:30am on Monday.

Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station is under his division. 

In the case statement, Anwar also said he took along his four colleagues -- SI Shahjahan Mondol, ASI Abdur Rashid and constables Matiur Rahman and Imam Hossain -- to conduct the raid.

During the “gunfight”, Matiur and Imam fired respectively two and three rounds from their shotguns, he added. 

Contacted, SI Shahjahan Mondol said he was not present at the time of the “gunfight”. He declined to make any further comments.

Rashid, Matiur and Imam could not be contacted.

Wahidul Islam, additional deputy commissioner (Tejgaon division) of DMP and head of the committee formed by police to investigate the shooting, said they were interrogating the policemen named in the case statement to verify Anwar's claim.

The case statement mentions that Shah Alam was injured in a gunfight but doctors at Nitor say he was shot from close range. 

Shah Alam claims he was picked up by SI Anwar from Mohammadpur Krishi Market area around 10:00pm Sunday. The SI and his men then blindfolded and tied him up, before forcing him into a microbus.

Taking him to Taltola area, Anwar shot him in both legs and later falsely portrayed him as a mugger and a gunfight victim.

Anwar was reportedly having an extramarital affair with Shah Alam's wife. Alam had threatened to disclose the matter to the police officer's wife.

DC Biplob Kumar Sarkar on Wednesday said their preliminary probe found Anwar shot Alam over personal enmity.

“He [Anwar] shot Alam after picking him up,” he told The Daily Star over the phone.

NHRC CHAIRMAN VISITS ALAM

Visiting Alam at the hospital yesterday morning, National Human Rights Commission Chairman Mizanur Rahman said policemen before receiving firearms need to undergo psychological tests.

“They should be tested to determine their mental fitness before they receive firearms,” said the NHRC boss.

He spoke with the victim and then briefed journalists on rights violation by law enforcers.

"We earlier had come to the hospital to visit Limon," he told reporters referring to the youth who was shot and maimed by a Rab team in Jhalakathi 2011. "Today, we came to visit another such victim."

Mizanur also criticised Asaduzzaman Khan, the state minister for home, for terming the shooting of Limon an accident.

Dr Golam Faruque, associate professor at Nitor, said the victim's condition was improving, and hopefully, amputation could be avoided.

HC DIRECTIVES

In response to a writ petition filed by rights body Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), the HC yesterday directed the DMP commissioner to inform the court on November 18 about the steps taken against the persons responsible for the shooting.

It ordered the authorities concerned to allow Alam's family members to visit him at the hospital, petitioner's lawyer ZI Khan Panna told The Daily Star.

Police earlier obstructed the family to visit the victim.

The court also issued a rule as to why the government should not be directed to compensate Alam and to take legal action against the persons responsible for the incident under the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The HC bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman came up with the order.