Md Yakub Kaisar, the younger brother of Md Zakir Hosssain who was found hanging from the railing on the second floor of a building at Chittagong Central Jail on June 3, has blamed the jail authorities for his brother’s death.
Terming it pre-planned, he alleged that nine jail employees had connived with each other and tortured Zakir to death because of internal feuds.
The plaintiff gave his statement yesterday under Section 161 of the Code of Criminal Procedure before a three-member inquiry team at the Detective Branch (DB) office, police sources said.
Deputy Commissioner (Detective Branch) Kushum Dewan, who led the team, said the investigation was ongoing. “The truth behind the death will be revealed after a full investigation,” he said.
Earlier, on Tuesday, the inquiry team visited Chittagong Central Jail and recorded the statements of four persons, including a jail guard, under Section 161.
Jail guard Mohammad Alamgir who first saw the prisoner’s body said he went to the spot after hearing groans and found Zakir hanging, quoted Additional Deputy Commissioner (prosecution) Md Rezaul Masud, who is also a member of the inquiry team.
The three prisoners who were with Zakir said he was always upset as his wife had an illicit relation with another man.
Zakir’s body was found hanging from the railing of the stairs of a jail building around 8:30pm on June 3. The jail authority called it a suicidal incident.
The family members of Zakir, who was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment in an abduction case, claimed that he was tortured to death by the jail officials.
On June 8, Yakub lodged a murder case with the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Moshiur Rahman Chowdhury, accusing nine employees of Chittagong Central Jail.
Taking the complaint into cognizance, the court ordered DC Kushum Dewan to investigate the matter.
The nine accused are Chittagong Central Jail Senior Jail Super Md Sagir Mia, Jailer Nesar Ahmed, Jail
Hospital physician Mostafizur Rahman, former subedars Amju Mia and Humayun Kabir, Chief Jail Guards Mohammad Hossain and Abdur Rashid, jail guards Mohammad Alam and Ziabul Islam.
Of the accused, Amju Mia and Humayun Kabir were released from duty, Ziabul Islam and Mohammad Alamgir were suspended and a departmental case was filed against Mohammad Hossain and Abdur Rashid for negligence of duty.
Asim Kanti Paul, deputy inspector general (DIG) of Prisons in Chittagong, formed a three-member probe committee while the senior jail super formed another three-member probe body to look into the matter.
The probe bodies submitted their reports to the higher authorities saying that Zakir had committed suicide due to mental disorder.