Former Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sultana Parvin has been denied bail and ordered to prison in a case filed over the torture of Bangla Tribune’s Kurigram correspondent, Ariful Islam Rigan.
The incident had occurred when Arif was picked up from his home at midnight in the name of a mobile court.
The order came on Tuesday noon from Kurigram District and Sessions Judge Mosammat Ismat Ara. Journalist Arif’s lawyer, Azizur Rahman Dulu, confirmed the development.
The bail hearing for the accused was conducted by several lawyers, including Advocate Fakhrul Islam. Representing the plaintiff, several district bar lawyers, including Azizur Rahman Dulu, also took part.
The court first heard arguments from both sides for about one hour and fifteen minutes before adjourning. The hearing resumed at 2:30pm. After reviewing the arguments and the FIR, the court rejected the bail plea of Sultana Parvin and ordered her imprisonment. Shortly after the order, police transported her to prison in a prison van.
Court sources further stated that on August 3, the accused Sultana Parvin sought anticipatory bail from the High Court. The High Court denied bail and instructed her to surrender before the Kurigram District Judge Court within four weeks.
On August 21, she applied for bail at the Kurigram District Judge Court but did not appear physically, as required by law. The plaintiff’s lawyer objected and submitted a petition. On Tuesday, after hearing all the applications, the court rejected her bail and ordered her imprisonment.
On the night of March 13, 2020, journalist Arif was taken from his residence after law enforcement officers and three district administration magistrates broke into his home. The incident followed the publication of a report on the renovation of a government pond in Kurigram town and its naming after the DC.
He was taken to the bank of the Dharla River with the alleged intention of crossing. Later, he was brought back to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, stripped, and beaten. That same night, under accusations of possessing drugs, a mobile court sentenced him to one year in prison and fined him Tk50,000, with an additional 15 days in jail in default.
The incident sparked nationwide protests, leading to Arif’s release on bail the following day.
After his release, Arif filed an FIR with Kurigram Sadar Police Station against then-DC Sultana Parvin, three magistrates, and 30–35 unidentified individuals. Following a High Court order, the FIR was recorded as a case on March 31, 2020.
The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) later investigated the case and submitted a charge sheet to the court five years after the incident. The charge sheet accused former DC Sultana Parvin, then-RDC Nazim Uddin, Executive Magistrate Rintu Bikash Chakma, and SM Rahatul Islam. While Sultana later surrendered to court seeking bail, the other accused have yet to do so.
Speaking on the development, journalist Arif said: “Following the publication of the news, I was taken away at midnight in front of my wife and children without any crime and tortured. Then I was sent to prison on false charges. I have been waiting a long time in the hope of justice. Today, at the primary stage, I have received justice from the court. It has been proven that no one is above the law. I think this is comforting news for the journalist community of the country, my colleagues, and well-wishers. I believe that ultimately I will get justice. No one should be able to misuse power and take illegal steps against any citizen of the country, including journalists.”
Plaintiff’s lawyer Azizur Rahman Dulu also stated: “We are satisfied as the lawyers of the plaintiff side with the order of rejecting the bail of former DC Sultana Parvin. This order is a milestone in the independence of the judiciary and in the establishment of justice.