A court in Rajshahi has granted the police two days to interrogate Sakhawat Hossain, the deep tube-well operator at Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) arrested over the suicide of two Santal farmers, at jail gate.
The court gave the order on Tuesday after rejecting a police plea to take him into a three-day remand, Godagari police Officer-in-Charge Kamrul Islam told Dhaka Tribune.
On Sunday, police arrested Shakhawat on charges of inciting the suicide of two the farmers in Rajshahi’s Godagari Upazila.
On March 23, Rabi Mardi, 27, and his cousin Abhinath Mardi, 36, consumed poison while standing beside the deep tube-well in Ishwaripur village after not getting irrigation water for their land.
Abhinath died at his home later the same day, while Rabi died while undergoing treatment at a local hospital on March 25.
Later, Abhinath’s wife Rojina Hembrom filed the case over incitement to commit suicide.
Soon after, the Agriculture Ministry formed a four-member panel to probe into the deaths. The committee submitted its report on Sunday, saying that they had found some irregularities in the supply of irrigation water.
Local growers have alleged that Sakhawat was depriving small farmers and providing irrigation water to farmers of his choice for bribes.
