A Dhaka court yesterday sent two police officers to jail rejecting their bail petitions in a case filed over alleged custodial death of a Bihari youth Istiaq Ahmed Jony in the capital.
Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Kamrul Hossain Molla passed the order after two sub inspectors – Kamruzzaman Mintu and Rashedul Islam – surrendered before the court and sought bail in the case.
However, the court fixed January 14 for charge framing hearing against five accused in the case following a time petition filed by defence counsel Faruk Ahamed.
On April 5 the same court issued warrants for the arrest of three accused including the two police officers – Mintu and Rashedul – after it took a charge-sheet into cognisance against five accused.
The three other accused are then sub-inspector Jahidur Rahman Khan of Pallabi Police Station and two police informants – Sumon and Russel.
Of the accused, SI Jahid, also prime accused in another case filed over the murder of custodial death of garment waste trader Mahbubur Rahman Sujan, is now in jail while Sumon and Russell have been on the run since filling of the case.
On August 7, last year the court ordered to conduct a judicial inquiry into the custodial death of Jony, a Bihari community member, after his brother Imtiaz Hossain Rocky filed a murder case.
After a judicial inquiry on February 17 this year, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Maruf Hossain submitted a probe report before the court against the five accused.
According to the case statement, an altercation took place between police informant Sumon and Jony over teasing girls at a wedding party at Irani Camp under Pallabi Police Station in the early hours of February 9, 2014.
As Jony slapped Sumon, he threatened him with dire consequences. Half an hour later, a team of 25-26 policemen, including SI Jahid, swooped on the ceremony and vandalised the stage. They also picked up Jony, Rocky and some other people from the ceremony and took them to the police station.
The detainees were tortured at the police custody and SI Jahid jumped on the chest of Jony and spit into his mouth when he sought water.
Later, seriously ill, Jony was taken to National Heart Foundation where doctors declared him dead. The complainant also alleged that police cooked up a false story to hush the actual incident where they claimed that Jony was killed in a clash between residents of Irani Camp and Rahmat Camp.