The probe body formed to investigate the torture and death of an MBA student in police custody is trying to prove innocent the police officer who allegedly confined him and realised Tk250,000 as bribe from the family for his release.
Chief of the three-member probe body Additional Police Super (crime) Ashrafuzzaman said they were in safe position as the court did not mention presence of any mark of injuries on the victim’s body when he had given confessional statement on May 20.
However, Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) morgue sources said the victim’s hands were bearing deep injury marks of cuffing and beating. His body was also had several deep injury marks.
According to the police’s inquest report, signed by an executive magistrate, Khadija Tahira Bobi, the body had many injury marks including in his hand, waist and legs.
ASP Ashrafuzzaman and Assistant Superintendent of Police (B circle) Uttam Kumar Pathak visited the local hospitals yesterday and said they were looking into the matter seriously.
The other member of probe body, court Inspector Asaduzzaman was out of the district yesterday and could not be reached over phone.
After recording his statement, the court sent Reza to the jail hospital as he fell sick. The jail authorities sent him to Narayanganj general hospital just an hour after his admission there, Deputy Jailer Md Mazhar said.
According to the register of the Narayanganj hospital’s emergency department, Reza was admitted at 10pm and on duty doctor Mainul Islam referred him to the DMCH as the patient was critically ill. He died in the early hours of May 22.
Shamim Reza, 26, was picked up by police on May 14 from his house at Protapnagar of Jhauchar union in Sonargaon, his family members say. Police claim that they arrested Reza on May 19.
A source of Sonargaon police station said the name of Shamim found at the station’s register on May 14. But it was immediately erased. The same name was also found in the record on May 19.
Reza’s father Hazi Alauddin desired that he would file a murder case against the police and said he had no confidence on the police probe.
The family members alleged that Sonargaon police station Inspector Arup Tarafder who is an investigation officer of a four-murder case allegedly confined Reza in a room of a building on the station premises and continued torture till May 20 to extract confessional statement. Reza was arrested as a suspect in the case though his name was not mentioned in the FIR too.
Reza’s family allegedly gave the officer Tk250,000 on May 20 evening for his release and the same amount was supposed to be given the next day. But without notifying the family, the officer had produced Reza to court in the noon.
On April 19, Jhauchar union parishad Chairman Rafiqul Islam’s second wife, her brother and two house-helps were slaughtered. Police arrested son of Rafiqul’s first wife Shahadat, the chairman’s younger brother Habibur Rahman, brother-in-law Rajib, body guard Badshah Miah and three others in this connection.
Reza was a friend of Shahadat, who is now in jail. They are also neighbours.
He passed BBA from Tolaram College of Munshiganj this year and took admission in the MBA class there. He was a small trader of sand and stones at Meghnaghat of Narayanganj.