Following several reports in the media about violation of child rights, the Detective Branch of Police has finally taken Oishee Rahman and her domestic help Sumi to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for age verification yesterday.
Oishee and Sumi was taken to DMCH in a special secure car of DB at around 3pm and after having some physical tests in the forensic department and X-ray at the hospital’s emergency section, they were brought back to the DB office at around 4pm.
When the police sought remand for Oishee Rahman, Khadiza Khatun Sumi, and Oishee’s boyfriend Mizanur Rahman Rony, their ages were stated to be 18, 15 and 25 respectively. However, at the press meet that followed Oishee’s surrender, police had said the girls were 16 and 10, in the same order.
Shajahan Shiraj, assistant of DMCH X-ray department told the Dhaka Tribune that they had taken X-rays of hands, wrists, knees and heels of Oishee and Shumi.
Sohel Mahmud, assistant professor of forensic department, told the Dhaka Tribune: “After getting all the physical and X-ray reports, we will able to get a report of age identification of Oishee and Sumi which would take about seven days.”
A Dhaka Court accepted a petition of the investigation officer Sub Inspector Mohammad Shahidullah Prodhan in the murder case of Special Branch Inspector Mahfuzur Rahman and his wife Shapna Rahman on Tuesday.
The investigation officer petitioned the court saying the actual age of Oishee and Sumi needed to be verified.
Gaffar Chowdhury, general recording officer (GRO) of the court, told the Dhaka Tribune that the petition was filed following media reports claiming Oishee’s remand was a violation of the Children Act.
Different rights bodies including the National Human Rights Commission has criticised Oishee’s remand.
Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of DB police, told the Dhaka Tribune that the Children Act had come into effect from Tuesday and Oishee was taken in custody on August 17, so she was not a child in the eyes of the law.
“However, we sent her to DMCH to get her actual age,” he added.
Defence asks court to stop police leaks
Oishee’s lawyer, Advocate Prokash Ranjan Bishwash, filed a petition yesterday asking the court to stop the disclosing of remand information to the media that he said would create social stigma for Oishee. According to the Right to Information Act 2009 section 7, police have no rights to disclose the information that an accused gave to the investigation officer in police custody.
These information may create bias about the person’s character, the petition said. After filing the petition, Metropolitan Magistrate Bikash Kumar Saha transferred the hearing to the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Mizanur Rahman and set today for the hearing.
Meanwhile, the detective branch is still pursuing the murder case. Joint Commissioner Moinrul Islam said DB was raiding at different areas of the capital to arrest two friends of Oishee, Jony and Saidul and hoped that the case would be resolved after their arrest.
An investigator of the department said that they had sent the information on Jony and Saidul to all ports and border areas so that they would not able to leave the country.
