Police not taking Mongal murder case, family says

Slain Mongal Hasda's wife Phulmoni Hemrom, a mother of two kids, speaks at a press conference arranged by Jatiya Adivasi Parishad at Dinajpur Press Club yesterday. Photo: STAR

Family members of a murdered indigenous person in Birganj upazila of Dinajpur have alleged that police is intimidating the victim's family instead of recording the murder case.
In Tanore upazila of Rajshahi district, police yesterday arrested eight people when they were erecting a makeshift house to occupy a piece of land inhabited by indigenous people.
On Tuesday afternoon, criminals including Md Aminul Islam forcibly took Shuren Hasda alias Mongal Hasda, 22, son of Channu Hasda of village Mahanpur under Birganj, onto a motorcycle from his residence, Mongal's wife Phulmoni Hemrom, 18, said at a press conference at Dinajpur Press Club yesterday, reports our correspondent.
On Wednesday evening, Md Aminur along with others including Helal Miah, Ansar Ali and Jahangir brought Mongal's body to his home, she said.
Threatened and tortured by the criminals, the family members had to bury the body against their will the same night.
Police also created pressure on the victim's family members to perform funeral of the deceased without conducting any autopsy, the family members said at the press conference.
Birganj police did not accept the case as of yesterday, they said.
Another person Laxmi Kanta Roy has also remained missing since Tuesday.
Jatiya Adivashi Parishad leaders including its General Secretary Shital Maddi were present at the press conference, among others.
On Thursday, around 300 indigenous people of Birganj upazila brought out a procession and submitted memorandum to the prime minister through the upazila nirbahi officer demanding justice for the brutal murder of the indigenous man.
They alleged that police is harassing them for trying to file a murder case.
When contacted, Birganj police station officer-in-charge (OC) Md Shahidul Islam said, "We have nothing to do with the case as Mongal was murdered in Thakurgaon."
Our Staff Correspondent reports from Rajshahi: Police yesterday arrested eight people while they were erecting a makeshift house to occupy a piece of land inhabited by indigenous people at Chawk Badhair village in Tanore upazila.
Police also seized a truck by which the arrestees had brought materials for the tin-roofed house from neighbouring Chapainawabganj district.
The arrestees are -- Fazlur Rahman, 48, Ziarul, 20, Isarul, 22, Abdul Khaleq, 26, Shariful Islam, 30, Atikul, 26, Shyam Chand and truck driver Yusuf Ali, 38.
Some indigenous families have been living on the one bigha of khas land for long but Fazlur Rahman suddenly started erecting a house on five decimal land there yesterday claiming that Shyam Chand, an indigenous person, had sold the land to him, sources said.
"The arrestees were erecting house on a disputed khas land although a Rajshahi court had issued injunction on the land following a case," Bazlar Rashid, officer-in-charge of Tanore Police Station, told reporters.