Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) yesterday suspended four policemen and a Bangladesh Ansar member in connection with the death of a businessman while in police custody. The victim was accused in a rape case.
Meanwhile, a Chittagong court sent two suspended police officials – Sub Inspector (SI) Amir Hossain and Constable Moslem Uddin of Panchlaish Police Station – to jail in relation to the custodial death, CMP and court sources said.
The suspended law enforcers are Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Enayet Hossain of Bakalia Police Station, Constables Mizanur Rahman, Akbar and Khokon Mia, and Ansar Constable Shahinur Alam of Panchlaish Police Station, CMP Additional Commissioner (Admin, Finance and Traffic) AKM Shahidur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune.
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 the Bakalia area of Chittagong City.
“According to the autopsy report, Rokunuzzaman had been beaten before his death. The CMP suspended five more policemen after initially suspending the first two. Police later arrested two of them after the victim’s wife sued them,” Shahidur said.
CMP Additional Deputy Commissioner (Prosecution) Md Rezaul Masud said the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Rahmat Ali sent the two previously suspended and arrested policemen, SI Amir and Constable Moslem, to jail.
Family members alleged that a police team led by SI Amir picked Rokunuzzaman up from his residence saying that he had been accused in a rape case lodged on June 5 with Panchlaish Police Station.
Shimu Akhter, the deceased’s wife, claimed that police beat her husband to death on board the police vehicle.
Harunur Rashid, a cousin of the deceased, said the police team kicked Rokunuzzaman in the chest after entering his residence and that police informer Jamal beat him, making him sicker.
The police refuted the allegation, saying Rokunuzzaman died of cardiac arrest or that he had become hypoglycemic.
An unnatural death case was lodged with Panchlaish Police Station and police source Jamal was taken into custody.
On June 25, Shimu lodged a murder case before a Chittagong court naming SI Amir, ASI Enayet, Constable Mizanur, Moslem, Akbar and Khokon Mia, Ansar Constable Shahinur, police sources Md Jamal and Humayun Kabir and a local man named Harunur Rashid Duke.
Taking the allegation into cognizance, the court ordered the Deputy Commissioner of Detective Branch (DB) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) to investigate the matter and submit a report by July 23.
In addition to the regular investigation, the court also ordered the Deputy Commissioner of DB to seize the evidence, record witness statements and, if necessary, to conduct a post mortem.
