An MBA student from Narayanganj died yesterday morning while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, allegedly after being tortured at a local police station for a couple of days.
His family members alleged that they paid a police official Tk250,000 as ransom but it could not make the release of Md Shamim Reza, 26, from the police custody as the officer demanded double than what was paid.
Reza passed BBA from Tolaram College of Munshiganj this year and took admission in the MBA class there. He was a small trader of sand and stones at Meghnaghat of Narayanganj. He lived with his family members at Protapnagar of Jhauchar in Sonargaon.
Iqbal Hossain, elder brother of the victim, at the DMCH morgue told reporters that a team led by Inspector (investigation) Arup Tarafder of Sonargaon police station picked up Reza from their home around 5pm on May 14. Police said they would interrogate Reza over the recent four-murder incident in the area.
The following day, his family members went to the police station but the law enforcers did not allow them to see the victim. Reza was not even kept at the police station and not remanded, Iqbal said.
“On May 18, we finally were able to reach the inspector over phone. He demanded Tk500,000 for his release. On the following day, I went to the police station with my maternal uncle Shahabuddin.”
He said they were taken to the first floor of a two-storey building on the premises where Inspector Arup stays. Reza was kept confined there.
“We found Reza handcuffed. His hands and legs were bearing signs of torture. Because of his health condition, he could not talk to us,” Iqbal said.
“The police official said he did not get any information from Reza regarding the four-murder incident. But he would only release him or sent him to court under Section 54 if the family could pay the money within 24 hours.”
In the evening on May 20, Iqbal met with Inspector Arup, then in plainclothes, on an over bridge in front of the police station and gave him Tk250,000 that the family members could manage within that time. Rest of the money was supposed to be paid the next day when, the officer said, police would produce the youth at the court under Section 54.
But, actually without notifying Reza’s family members, police in the noon had sent Reza to the Judicial Magistrate Court of Narayanganj as his physical condition deteriorated.
In the court, Reza gave confessional statement in the murder case. After recording the statement under Section 164, the court ordered his treatment. He was admitted to Victoria Hospital in Narayanganj around 8pm.
But the hospital authorities transferred him to the DMCH that night where he died around 8am yesterday.
“We got a scope to talk to him early in the morning [yesterday] at the DMCH. He told us that the inspector, cuffing his hands, beat him up mercilessly for four days. Under unbearable physical torture, he decided to give the confessional statement,” Iqbal said.
On April 19, Jhauchar union parishad Chairman Rafiqul Islam’s second wife, her brother and two house-helps were slaughtered. Police arrested Shahadat, the son of Rafiqul’s first wife, the chairman’s younger brother Habibur Rahman, brother-in-law Rajib, body guard Badshah Miah and three others in this connection.
Police suspected Reza as he was a friend of Shahadat, who is now in jail. They are also neighbours.
Contacted, Sonargaon police station’s Officer-in-Charge Atiqur Rahman said he would not comment on this matter. Accused Inspector Arup did not receive phone calls.
However, Syed Nurul Islam, the Narayanganj superintendent of police, denied the allegations of torture. He claimed that Reza was not sick when he gave confessional statement in the court.
As he confessed to the crime willingly, Nurul said, police did not take him in remand. He also added that police would investigate if Arup received the money as bribe.
DMCH morgue sources said the victim’s hands were bearing deep injury marks of cuffing and beating. His body was also had several deep injury marks.
According to the police’s inquest report, signed by an executive magistrate, Khadija Tahira Bobi, the body had many injury marks including in his hand, waist and legs.
Relatives took the body to their village home for burial in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, the local people of Jhauchar organised a human chain in Meghnaghat area last night to protest against the death of Reza.
