Senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sengupta has demanded putting accused policemen in the dock over the death of a tea-stall vendor in Dhaka.
The ruling party Advisory Council member voiced the demand at a discussion organised by the Bangabandhu Academy in the capital on Friday.
“Policemen involved in the killing of tea vendor Babul [Matabbor] should be tried,” said Suranjit, who heads the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.
Babul sustained 90% burns when a Shah Ali police team allegedly attacked him, causing an oil spill from his stove on Wednesday night. He died on Thursday afternoon.
Suranjit demanded a special tribunal to handle the sensitive case. “Complete the trial in a month and establish the rule of law,” he added.
Family members alleged policemen attacked Babul after he had refused to pay extortion money. But police branded Babul a drug dealer, claiming he had received burns while trying to run away from them.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal claimed only a police informant was involved. “A feud over drug selling was behind it,” he alleged.
Five Shah Ali police station officers were closed on Thursday while the officer-in-charge was withdrawn yesterday. Two police teams are investigating the incident.