Cops beat up vendor for not paying toll

A team of Tejgaon police beat up a hawker in the capital's Farmgate last night for refusing to pay them money, the victim and witnesses alleged.
The injured, Ariful Islam, 22, received primary treatment at Al-Razi Hospital at Farmgate.
Witnesses, most of them pedestrians, confined the two policemen -- Constables Fayez Ahmed and Abdul Aziz -- for about half an hour following the incident.
Ariful told this correspondent he was on his way home at Begun Bazar around 9:00pm after selling chanachur at Mirpur for all day. Some customers stopped him near Tejgaon Govt Girls' High School and asked some chanachur.
Soon after the two policemen appeared and asked Tk 100, he alleged.
"I refused to pay, saying that I would leave the place at once. But they kept insisting for the money.
"Finally, they demanded Tk 20 but I refused to pay. At this, one of the policemen started beating with a stick," he said.
Constable Fayez Ahmed confessed to beating Ariful, but refuted the allegation of demanding money. He claimed he had twice evicted Ariful from the spot while patrolling the area. He beat Ariful as he returned for a third time.
"It was just a misunderstanding. We'll bear the expenses of his [Ariful's] treatment. Don't take this seriously," said Abdur Razzak, sub-inspector of Tejgaon Police Station.
Later, the police team took the victim for treatment.
Alamgir Hossain, who was selling bags just beside scene, said all the hawkers had to pay money to police every day for sitting there.
"Constables Fayez and Abdul Aziz took Tk 40 from me just before they asked money from the chanachur vendor," he alleged.
Contacted, Tejgaon Police Station Officer-in-charge Mahbubur Rahman said, "The allegation of demanding extortion is not true. Police drove out the vendors, as they have no right to sell goods on the footpath of VIP a road. He [Ariful] was hurt during a scuffle."