Mashuk murder: Detained teenager says he was tortured to give confessional statement

Teenager Bidarul Islam Nayeem has appealed to a Bogra court for the withdrawal of his confessional statement in connection with the murder of Mashuk Ferdous. In a petition filed with the Senior Judicial Magistrate's court on July 11, Nayeem alleged that the law enforcers had tortured him and threatened to frame false charges against his parents to give the confessional statement. Meanwhile, slain Mashuk's father Emdadul Haque Emdad on Monday filed a petition with the same court to give the responsibility of the investigation to the Criminal Investigation Departemnt (CID). It can be mentioned here that the Detective Bracnh (DB) is currently carrying out the investigation. The responsibility of the investigation was handed over to the DB following two written complaints field by Emdad May 24 and May 25 that had alleged that police were showing laxity in the investigation Emdad filed the case with Sadar police station earlier on May 13, accusing 16 people. Bangladesh Test skipper Mushfiqur Rahim’s father Mahbub Hamid Tara was also named as an accused. Mahbub secured an anticipatory bail in the case on June 5. Mashuk's father Emdad alleged that Mahbub was involved in the killing of his son over a previous enmity about a position in the managing committee of Matidali High School in Bogra town. In his petition to withdraw the confessional statement, Nayeem said he was held by policemen from in front of a hotel in Sajahanpur area in the morning on May 15. He was allegedly taken to an unknown location and tortured there for about four days. It was also alleged in the petition that the policemen had threatened the teenager by saying that they would frame false charges against his parents. Moreover, according to the petition, Naymeem was also told by the policemen that Mashuk was alive till then, and that if he gives the confessional statement, they would admit him in Bangladesh Krira Sikkha Protisthan (BKSP). The law enforcers allegedly wrote down a fake confessional statement and made the teenager to memorise it. Nayeed later gave his confessional statement before a court on May 18. Sadar police station Officer-in-Charge (investigation) Aslam Ali, who was also the first investigation officer (IO) of the case, denied the allegations, saying neither he nor any other police officer had tortured or given any threat to Nayeem. Nayeem was not detained for four days as he had alleged, said Aslam Ali, adding that the teenager gave his confessional statement before the court voluntarily after three hours of detention.