A Railway official, charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder in connection with the death of four-year-old child Jihad, has surrendered before a Dhaka court and sought bail.
Jahangir Alam, senior sub-assistant engineer of Bangladesh Railway, surrendered before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Ashok Kumar Dutta around 10am Thursday.
Later, his lawyer filed a bail petition with the same court.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court GRO Sub-Inspector Aminul Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune: “Jahangir, who was on run, has surrendered before the court and sought bail through his lawyer.”
“The hearing will take place later in the day,” he said.
Earlier on April 8, Jahnagir along with Abdus Salam, owner of contractor firm SR House that installed the deep tube-well on Shahjahanpur Railway Colony premises, was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Culpable homicide is a specific offence which involves the illegal killing of a person either with or without an intention to kill.
On March 8, Salam surrendered before a Dhaka's magistrate court after expiry of his four-week bail. The court sent him jail rejecting his bail petition.
The body of Jihad was pulled put by a band of indomitable volunteers around 2:45pm on December 27 last year, around 15 minutes after the fire service called off a nearly 23-hour search in the 17-inch diameter abandoned shaft.
Dhaka Medical College Hospital doctors declared Jihad dead when he was taken to the hospital. Jihad fell into the pipe, some 40 yards from his house, on December 26 while playing with friends.
Victim’s father Nasir Fakir filed the murder case with Shahjahanpur police against Abdus Salam, owner of contractor firm SR House that installed the deep tube-well on Shahjahanpur Railway Colony premises and Jahangir.
The complainant said the incident was the result of negligence by the contractor and the railway officials concerned as they had not sealed the pipe.
Inspector Abu Zafar of Shahjahanpur police, also investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet with Dhaka's Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court.
The two were made accused in the case for their negligence in duties, Inspector Zafar mentioned in the charge sheet.
