PBI chief, 2 SPs had me tortured

Former SP Babul Akter, who is in jail in connection with the murder of his wife Mahmuda Khanam Mitu, yesterday lodged a complaint with a Chattogram court accusing PBI chief Banaj Kumar Majumdar and five police personnel of torturing him in custody.

Babul said before being shown arrested in the case, he was physically and mentally tortured in custody of Police Bureau of Investigation so that he would confess to the killing of his wife "as per the direction of the PBI chief", said his lawyer Golam Mowla Murad, quoting the complaint.

Babul submitted the 34-page complaint to Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Begum Jebunnesa through the lawyer around noon.

The court fixed September 19 for passing an order whether the complaint would be taken as a case, said Public Prosecutor Fakhruddin Chowdhury.

The five others are: PBI's Chattogram District SP Nazmul Hasan, PBI Ctg metro unit SP Naima Sultana, former investigation officer of Mitu murder case Santosh Kumar Chakma, now OC of CMP Khulshi Police Station, former PBI inspector AKM Mohiuddin Selim, now the CMP's assistant commissioner, and PBI Inspector Kazi Enayet Kabir.

Quoting the complaint, lawyer Mowla told The Daily Star that Babul alleged that he was asked to go to the PBI office and later tortured after being handcuffed and blindfolded.

Babul also demanded a judicial enquiry into the incident, added the lawyer.

PBI chief Banaj Kumar told The Daily Star, "I won't make any comment on the issue. We will deal with the allegation of Babul legally."

SP Naima refused to comment, while SP Nazmul did not receive phone calls of this correspondent.

On June 5, 2016, Mitu was stabbed and shot dead when she was walking her son to his school-bus stop at the port city's GEC intersection. Babul filed a case against three unidentified men with Panchlaish Police Station in Chattogram.

PBI took charge of the case from Chattogram Metropolitan Police in February 2020 and started further investigation.

On May 11, 2021, Babul was taken to the PBI office from his Dhaka's Mohammadpur home for interrogation in connection with killing of his wife. He was then moved to the Chattogram  PBI office. Later, he was shown arrested in Mitu murder case while his father-in-law filed a murder case accusing him and seven others.

After the arrest of Babul, PBI said Babul was the mastermind of his wife murder.