Jubo League man ‘tortured in custody’
Police in Sunamganj arrested two people, including a Jubo League leader, on Tuesday in a case filed over assaulting a sub-inspector of Shalla Police Station.
However, family members of the Jubo League leader have alleged that the arrest was part of a communal agenda connected to his sharing an audio recording of former Hefajat-e-Islam leader Mamunul Haque on Facebook in April.
The family also alleged that the Jubo League leader has been tortured in custody.
The arrested Jubo League leader is Arindam Chowdhury Apu, 38, the former convener of Shalla Upazila unit Chhatra League and a resident of Ninda village of the upazila. The other arrestee is Ratan Roy, 28, a resident of Ghungiargaon village.
According to the statement of the case filed by Shalla Police Station Sub-inspector Shah Ali, the SI had visited Shahid Ali High School in the upazila soon after midnight on Tuesday after receiving information that a group had gathered there.
He was pushed to the ground and prime accused Arindam stabbed the officer in the head and someone else hit his left leg with an iron rod, the case statement said.
The attackers fled after a few locals rushed to the spot hearing the sub-inspector's screams. The locals then rescued the SI and admitted him to the upazila health complex, according to the case statement.
Shah Ali filed the case later that day with Shalla Police Station accusing Arindam Chowdhury Apu, Bishwajit Roy, Polash Sarkar Paltu, Ratan Roy, Chandan Roy and three or four unnamed persons.
Md Nur Alam, officer-in-charge (OC) of the station, said, "We've arrested two, including the prime accused, in connection with the attack. We're investigating the matter."
The OC said that SI Shah Ali was still at hospital as of yesterday.
Meanwhile, Arindam's brother, lawyer Amitabh Chowdhury Rahul, claimed that the arrest was a vindictive act of the sub-inspector centring a communal incident.
Maulana Mamunul Haque, who was the joint general secretary of the Hefajat committee dissolved in May, went to a resort in Narayanganj on April 3 with someone he claimed to be his second wife.
An audio recording of a conversation with the woman was leaked on Ekattor TV the following day, and Arindam shared the audio on his Facebook account, Amitabh said.
In the ensuing days, locals had threatened attacks on their village and on Arindam unless he publicly apologised for sharing the recording, Amitabh said.
On April 10, Amitabh filed a general diary (GD) with the Shalla Police Station, mentioning the names of 13 people who had issued the threats.
These threats came within a month of the communal attack in Noagaon of the same upazila on March 17, over a Facebook post criticising Hefajat.
Talking to The Daily Star on Tuesday, Amitabh said, "After we filed the GD, the police put pressure on my brother instead of taking action against the intimidators. SI Shah Ali told my brother that it was not right to share such a post and that he should have thought about the arrest of Jhumon Das Apon in Noagaon.
"SI Shah Ali then spoke of deleting the post and removing the name of Hefajat-e-Islam and issues related to communal attacks the GD."
According to Amitabh, his family then lodged a complaint with the office of Sunamganj Superintendent of Police (SP) Mizanur Rahman about the pressure by Shah Ali.
The circle additional superintendent of police (ASP) investigated the matter, Amitabh said, adding that the family came to know that Shah Ali was served a show-cause notice.
"Shah Ali was furious with my brother when we lodged the complaint with the SP … we have reasons to believe that this is the main reason behind the arrest of my brother by framing the false charge of assaulting the sub-inspector," he added.
He also alleged that Arindam was tortured in police custody after his arrest.
"We will file a complaint in court after he is produced before it today."
Contacted, Sunamganj SP Mizanur Rahman said, "The general diary and the subsequent complaint against the SI [Shah Ali] was settled as we instructed the SI not to pressurise the plaintiff to change the general diary, and to investigate properly and send a report in this matter.
"The SI later investigated the matter and informed that the accused were staying outside the country. The matter remains in that place," the SP said. "Most of the time the plaintiff doesn't feel happy about the police's work.
"However, it cannot be said with certainty that he is now being charged in connection with the attack. The matter is subject to investigation and we will take it seriously," he said.
Regarding torture of Arindam in custody, the SP said, "If torture has taken place in police custody, it is definitely a serious crime. When the victim is produced in the court, he can complain to the magistrate about the torture. If the allegation turns out to be true, we will take legal action."
Comments