A Chittagong court has sent the two detained police personnel to jail in connection with the death of a businessman in police custody.
The policemen are Sub-Inspector (SI) Amir Hossain and Constable Moslem Uddin of Panchlaish police station.
The court of Metropolitan Magistrate Rahmat Ali passed the order on Tuesday, a day after the accused policemen were arrested.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (Prosecution) Md Rezaul Masud of CMP said: “The court sent the arrested police members to jail after they were produced before the court in the afternoon.”
“The defence counsel, however, pleaded bail for the two arrestees, but the court rejected their plea.”
Meanwhile, Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) have suspended the detained policemen along with four other policemen and an Ansar member in connection with the incident.
The other suspended law enforcers are Assistant Sub-Inspector Enayet Hossain of Bakalia police station, constables Mizanur Rahman and Khokon Mia, Ansar constable Shahinur Alam, driver Akbar of Panchlaish police station.
Earlier on June 19, Md Rokunuzzaman, 45, a local housing businessman, died in police custody after a police team picked him up from his residence on Syed Shah Road in Chittagong city’s Bakalia area.
Family members said the police team, led by Sub-Inspector Amir Hossain of Panchlaish police station, picked Rokunuzzaman up from his residence saying that he was an accused of a rape case lodged with Panchlaish Police Station on June 5.
Later, the family members were informed that Rokunuzzaman’s body was being kept in Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH).
Shimu Akhter, wife of the deceased, claimed that police beat her husband to death.
Harunur Rashid, cousin of the deceased, said: “The police kicked Rokunuzzaman in his chest after entering their residence and police source Jamal beat him up which made him sick.”
Refuting the allegation, police claimed that when the police team went to nab Rokunuzzaman, he felt sick as he was a patient of Diabetes and High Blood Pressure.
Later, Rokunuzzaman was rushed to CMCH where the on-duty doctor declared him dead, he said adding that Rokunuzzaman might be dead after cardiac arrest.
An unnatural death case was lodged in this connection on that day while Panchlaish police held police source Jamal after the incident.
On June 25, Shimu lodged a murder case with a Chittagong court accusing Sub-Inspector (SI) Amir Hossain, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Enyaet Hossain, Constables Mizanur Rahman, Moslem and Khokon Mia, Ansar Constable Shahinur Alam, driver Akbar, police sources Md Jamal and Humayun Kabir and one Harunur Rashid Duke.
Taking the allegation into cognisance, the court ordered Deputy Commissioner of Detective Branch (DB) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) to investigate the matter and submit a report within July 23.
Besides the regular investigation, the court also ordered the Deputy Commissioner of DB to seize the evidences, record statements of witnesses and if necessary to further postmortem.
“According to autopsy report, Rokunuzzaman was beaten before his death. The police personnel were arrested after getting the postmortem report,” said Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operation) Banaz Kumar Majumder of CMP.
