The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has launched a probe against former Kurigam deputy commissioner Sultana Parveen and three executive magistrates over the illegal arrest and torture of Ariful Islam, the former district correspondent of Dhaka Tribune.
The police unit will be investigating the case filed by Ariful, PBI Inspector Saiful Islam told Bangla Tribune.
Saiful, also the investigating officer of the case, said that they accepted the file on April 7 from Kurigram police and have already started their investigations.
“The police failed to submit a probe report even after two years of the incident,” Ariful said.
He alleged that because the accused are influential, they are tampering with the case.
“So, I wrote to the inspector general of police for a free and fair probe into the matter. The police headquarters has accepted my plea,” he said.
Ariful, who underwent physical torture during his illegal arrest, said that justice must be served to stop the persecution of journalists.
Meanwhile, his legal counsel, lawyer Azizur Rahman Dulu said that PBI is able to maintain the utmost transparency during important and publicized cases.
Stating that Ariful’s medical certificates have been submitted, he hoped that PBI will carry out a transparent probe and submit a report accordingly.
On March 14, 2020, a mobile court of Kurigram district administration, led by three assistant commissioners, convicted and sentenced Ariful, the Kurigram correspondent of Dhaka Tribune and Bangla Tribune, to a year’s imprisonment, after he was arrested from his home, on charges of possession of narcotics.
Earlier the same night, Ariful and his family members were about to go to sleep when some Ansar members, accompanied by Nazim Uddin, Rintu Bikash Chakma and Rahatul Islam, barged into their home and subjected Ariful to beatings and torture. Later at around 1:30am, Ariful was sent to jail.
Following the probe, the ministry also postponed Assistant Commissioner Rahatul Islam's increment for three years and demoted RDC Nazim Uddin.
At the time, the ministry also decided to dismiss Assistant Commissioner and Executive Magistrate Rintu Bikash Chakma from public service.
Following the incident, the public administration ministry suspended her salary increment for two years on August 10, 2021.
Sultana Parveen, who was withdrawn and now attached to the ministry as an officer on special duty (OSD), appealed to the president on September 6.
In a circular issued on November 23, 2021, the ministry said that her punishment has been scrapped and that she has been relieved of the allegations after she appealed to the president.