Explain in four weeks: HC asks govt about detainees in fetters

The High Court yesterday issued a rule asking the government to explain in four weeks why it should not be directed to formulate a guideline through a committee on handcuffing and fettering the detained accused.

In the rule, the court also asked the government to show causes why the handcuffing and fettering of Ali Azam in Gazipur and Selim Reza in Shariatpur by the law enforcers during the namaz-e-janaza prayers of their mothers on December 20 and January 16 should not be declared illegal.

The HC in the rule asked the authorities concerned to explain why they should not be directed to give adequate compensations to Azam, a local BNP leader, and Selim, a Chhatra Dal leader, as they were mentally and physically harassed and humiliated.

Secretaries to the ministries of home and law, inspectors general of police and prisons, deputy commissioners and superintendents of police of Gazipur and Shariatpur, the jailer of Kashimpur jail and officers-in-charge of Kaliakoir and Palong police stations in the two districts have been made respondents to the rule.

The HC bench of Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Mohammad Ali issued the rule following a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Kayser Kamal, also the BNP's law affairs secretary, seeking necessary directives.

The lawyer submitted the petition on January 24, saying that the government arbitrarily handcuffed and fettered Azam and Selim to physically and mentality harass and torture them and to make people panicked, which is illegal and contradictory to the constitution.

The country's constitution has prohibited any inhumane and degrading behaviour towards any person, he said in the petition.

Azam, president of Boali union BNP in Gazipur's Kaliakoir upazila, is behind bars in a case filed under the Explosive Substances Act. Chhatra Dal Assistant General Secretary Selim is in jail in an arson case.