A 32-year-old man in Sylhet died in police custody following torture on Sunday, his family has alleged.
Police, however, have denied the allegation, claiming they found the man in a wounded state and had taken him to a hospital where he died.
Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital’s Emergency Medical Officer Dr Zaman confirmed Rayhan Ahmed’s death at the casualty ward in the early hours, soon after police brought him in around 6:30am.
While the family alleged police beat Rayhan, who lived in the city’s Akhalia Neharipara, to death, police countered that he died from injuries sustained during a reported clash in Kashtoghar area.
Dhaka Tribune could not independently verify how Rayhan, who worked a diagnostic centre in the city, received his injuries.
Police claimed he was accused in two cases, over drugs and mugging charges, filed at Kotwali police station.
File photo of Rayhan Ahmed | Collected
After the news of his death in police custody broke, some locals demonstrated by blocking the Sylhet-Sunamganj road for half an hour in the afternoon demanding justice. However, they lifted the blockade around 5pm following an assurance from the police.
According to rights organization Ain o Salish Kendra, 52 people died in the custody of different security agencies including police — under different circumstances — between January and September this year around the country.
Rayhan’s uncle Md Habibullah said his nephew called him over phone around 4am, crying: “Save me. Bring money to the [police] outpost.”
Habibullah then learned that Rayhan was being held at the Bandarbazar police outpost. When he went there after the Fajr prayers, the on-duty constable told him to come later in the morning as everyone was sleeping. The constable also told him to bring Tk10,000, he alleged.
According to Habibullah, he went to the outpost again around 10:15am with Tk5,000, where he was told that Rayhan was sick and taken to the hospital. He found Rayhan’s body in the hospital’s morgue after going there.
The sudden death of Rayhan — a father of a two-month-old daughter — has left his full family shocked and riling.
Habibullah claimed he saw bruises all over Rayhan’s body, including under the feet and behind the knees, which led him to believe that his nephew was beaten to death by police.
Rejecting his allegation, a police officer of the Bandarbazar outpost, on condition of anonymity, said that a police team went to Kashtoghar area around 5:30am after being informed about a clash. They found Rayhan there in critical condition with blood and bruises all over his body.
He was taken to the Osmani Medical College Hospital where he died around 6:30am, said the official.
Brushing off Habibullah’s claim regarding Tk10,000, the officer also said that they suspect Rayhan was injured in a clash between two groups of muggers.
Sylhet Metropolitan Police’s Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) Jyortimoy Sarkar initially echoed the officer about where and how Rayhan was found.
“Some witnesses also said Rayhan was injured during a mugging attempt,” he claimed. “But we are investigating to get the full picture on what actually happened.”
He initially rejected the allegation that Rayhan was beaten to death in police custody. However, on late Sunday night, said the matter will be investigated.
Rayhan's wife Tahmina Akter Tanni filed a case against unknown assailants in connection with his death from torture.
Councillor of the local ward Nazrul Islam Munim on Sunday said no local residents were able to confirm how Rayhan was injured.
The CCTV footage of Sylhet City Corporation found no proof of the alleged clash, in which police had earlier claimed that Rayhan was killed.
