Nur Nabi, the key coordinator of the Jagannath University unit Anti-Discriminatory Student Movement, detailed the severe police torture he endured when he was detained by the Detective Branch (DB) on July 19 from the university’s main gate.
He described the incident and torture at a press conference held on Friday in front of the Shaheed Minar at Jagannath University,
“They laid me down and said, ‘One hand was broken by the Chhatra League, and we will break the other.’ They pressed a stick from my knees to my navel, as if rolling dough. Whenever I cried, they threatened to kill me. They tortured me for hours.”
Nur Nabi recounted that he was picked up from the university gate and transported by five DB vehicles to the DB office on Minto Road in Dhaka.
“As soon as I got into the car, they started beating me, especially Assistant Commissioner Golam Mustafa and his team. ADC Badarul called me separately,” he said.
He further said: “When I was taken to the DB office, I thought the torture in the car would never be surpassed. I thought they might either release me or arrest me. But the inhumane torture they subjected me to was beyond my imagination. They blindfolded me and stripped me of all my clothes. The brutal torture began.
“They kept beating me, accusing me of being a terrorist and saying that I was involved with Shibir and that several people from the campus had reported me. They said I was a student leader, and they tortured my legs so badly that I thought my legs would rot or need to be amputated,” he added.
He described the electric shocks he received, saying: “They asked me to urinate and then gave me electric shocks. They injected me with something and struck my genitals. I repeatedly felt that I would die. The police had been tracking my phone since July 15.
“They threatened many people to leave Dhaka. That’s why I said goodbye to my mother on the 17th, telling her, ‘If I die, don’t cry. If I survive, I’ll call you in the evening.’ They played this voice recording repeatedly while torturing me. At one point, they held my hands and legs apart and found a BNCC card on me. They then accused me of being a terrorist and said I had received training. I couldn’t reveal that I had participated in military exercises, and thus, I couldn't be a terrorist. They left me naked,” he added.
Nur Nabi also stated that then DB chief Harun arrived in the afternoon and said: “Why are you saving him? Shoot him in a crossfire.”
In prison, Nur Nabi pleaded with guards to take him to the hospital, but his requests were denied. He was kept in a cell with water mixed with chili powder to prevent him from drinking or bathing.
“There were six of us in total. In Ramna, they removed our blindfolds and made me hold a petrol bomb. They started filming, planning to frame us. I never imagined the Detective Branch could sink to such a level. The Detective Branch should have been a place of trust for the people of the country. Anyway, they didn’t kill me. I survived and returned to freedom in my own country. This is our second independence,” Nur Nabi concluded.
The press conference was attended by university coordinators Masud Rana, Sohan, Swarna Akhtar Riya, Mostafizur Rahman, Faisal, and other student activists including Naima Akhtar Rita, BM Tanzil, Shahin Alam Shan, and Swapna.
