Family calls 999 for help, gets beaten up
A family called 999 for police help, but three of its members were beaten up by the law enforcers instead. Another member of the family has been behind bars for a week in a case filed by those accused of attacking the family.
This happened in Bibir Bagicha of the capital's Jatrabari on April 8. Three cops of Jatrabari Police Station were suspended yesterday in connection with the incident.
Abul Khair of the victim family said he had a dispute with his neighbour Nurul Islam over the possession of a private road in Bibir Bagicha. He said they have been using the road for 20 years, but Nurul claimed that it was built on his land.
Abul alleged that Nurul recently set up a wall in front of his building blocking the road and the water supply connection to his home was also snapped. This caused suffering to 16 families living in the building.
After Abul's family dialed 999, the national emergency service, to lodge a complaint, three police members of Jatrabari Police Station and an ansar man went to the house on April 8, they beat up Abul and his family members and took three of them to the police station.
Later that day, a case was also filed by Nurul against Abul and his family members over attempted murder. Abul's son Yusuf is now behind bars in the case.
After a television channel reported the incident on Friday, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police yesterday suspended the three cops for their unprofessional behaviour, DMP Deputy Commissioner (Wari Division) Shah Iftekhar Ahmed told The Daily Star.
He claimed that Abul's family called 999 around 10:00am on April 8 and asked for help. A police team visited the house and helped the family. After the police left, the two families scuffled with each other. A case was filed around noon.
"Police then went to the house to arrest the accused. But some police members behaved unprofessionally at that time."
Iftekhar said a three-member probe body, led by DMP Additional Deputy Commissioner (Wari Zone) Kamrul Islam, was formed yesterday to probe the incident.
The suspended cops are Sub-Inspector Biswajit Sarkar, constable Shawkat Ali and constable Nabanita Banasen. Besides, police recommended departmental action against Ansar member Sumon Deb. The ansar man was sent back to his force.
The April-8 incident was caught on a CCTV camera installed at Abul's house. The footage showed that constable Nabanita beating up a woman with a stick and slapping her. She was seen trying to strangle the woman and pulling her by the hair. SI Biswajit and constable Shawkat were seen beating up two male members of Abul's family.
Speaking to The Daily Star, Abul's daughter Shilpi Akhter said water supply connection to their home was restored yesterday morning. A part of the wall was knocked down by the police.
Nurul refuted the allegations of blocking the road and attacking Abul's family members. He told journalists that Abul framed him by snapping the water supply line to his own home.
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