The father and elder brother of prime accused Siddhartha Das have been detained for questioning in connection with the killing of retired Rangpur Zilla School teacher Ganapati Chakraborty and three members of his family.
The Metropolitan Detective Branch (DB) police detained Siddhartha’s father Binoy Chandra Das and elder brother Partha Das from their home in Masuapara on Saturday evening.
Rangpur Metropolitan DB Police Deputy Commissioner Sanatan Chakraborty confirmed the detention.
According to police, Partha had been using the mobile phone previously used by Siddhartha after his arrest.
Investigators are examining the phone’s call detail records to determine whom Siddhartha contacted before and after the killings and whom Partha contacted after Siddhartha’s arrest, police sources said.
A DB official, speaking to Bangla Tribune on condition of anonymity, said Siddhartha’s father and brother had been asked several times over the past few days to appear at the DB office for questioning but did not do so.
“They were detained from their home this evening and brought to the DB office. Basically, they have been brought in for questioning,” the official said.
‘They are being questioned’
Deputy Commissioner Sanatan Chakraborty said: “We had been calling Siddhartha’s father and brother for several days to talk to them. They did not come. So, we brought them to the DB office and they are being questioned. What action will be taken against them will be informed later.”
Journalist allegedly harassed
The detention came amid allegations that Partha Das and his associates harassed a journalist covering the killings.
Selim Sarkar, Rangpur correspondent of Dainik Khabar Kagoj, alleged that a group of people surrounded and detained him when he went to Masuapara to gather news on Saturday.
He said the group took away his motorcycle key and harassed him while searching his body.
According to Selim, members of Partha’s family and several unidentified youths behaved discourteously with him and harassed him.
After hearing about the incident, local journalists went to the scene. Around the same time, a DB team arrived and detained Binoy Das and Partha Das before taking them to the DB office.
Journalists demand action
Later, journalists held a human chain and protest in front of Ganapati Chakraborty’s residence, demanding action against those involved in the alleged harassment.
Dhaka Post journalist Farukuzzaman Faruk, Kalbela representative Rezwan Kabir Roni and local journalists’ leaders spoke at the program.
They demanded legal action against anyone involved in obstructing or harassing journalists while they were performing their professional duties.
Regarding the allegation, Sanatan Chakraborty said: “I have heard about the matter. If a written complaint is filed with Kotwali police station, the police will take necessary steps.”
Four killed
Police recovered the bodies of four members of Ganapati’s family from a three-storey house in Rangpur city’s Kamal Kachna area last Saturday night.
The deceased were Ganapati Chakraborty, 65, a retired Rangpur Zilla School teacher; his wife Pritilata Chakraborty, 50; daughter Agami Chakraborty, 25; and son Ayush Chakraborty, 13.
Police said two youths were detained early Sunday on suspicion of involvement in the killings.
They were identified as Siddhartha Das, 19, and Mugdha Das, 23. Their homes are near Ganapati’s residence.
At a press conference around 1:30pm on Sunday, police said the two youths were involved in the killings.
Last Thursday, Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Mabud described the two arrested accused as the main killers and cited a possible land dispute and caste conflict as two possible motives.
The commissioner said there was an allegation that land co-sharers had not received money they were entitled to after Ganapati bought land from Siddhartha’s ancestors and built a house there.
He also said Ganapati came from a Brahmin family and allegedly considered members of the Hindu community in Masuapara to belong to the Das community.
According to the commissioner, Ganapati would speak to them when he met them but allegedly did not allow them into his home.
He said resentment may have developed because local residents did not visit Ganapati’s house, which could have been a motive for the killings.
The commissioner also said the killings took place early Thursday morning, not at night.
