Judicial probe ordered into custodial death

A Dhaka court has ordered a judicial investigation into the alleged custodial killing of scrap-cloth dealer Mahabubur Rahman Sujon at the Mirpur Police Station.

Court Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 20 July 2014, 07:11 AM
Updated : 20 July 2014, 08:25 AM

His wife Mamtaj Sultana Lucy filed a case against 10 people, including Mirpur police OC Salauddin Ahmed and Sub-Inspector Jahidur Rahman, with the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judges Court on Sunday.

Judge Md Jahurul Haq admitted the case.

Six people, including the plaintiff, have been named as witnesses.

On July 12, a police team led by SI Jahid detained Sujon, his wife and 5-year-old son from their Shankar residence and took them to Mirpur Police Station.

Sujon's family claimed police had tortured him in a separate room.

Doctors declared him dead the following day when he was taken to hospital.

SI Jahid was suspended hours after Sujon's family had pointed the finger at him.

He was arrested on Wednesday after the post-mortem report said the scrap-cloth dealer had been murdered.

A day later, police accused eight men, including SI Jahid, in a murder case over Sujon's death.

On July 17, a Dhaka court sent him on a five-day remand.

The other accused are ASI 'Rajkumar', constables 'Asad' and 'Rashidul', police informers 'Nasim', 'Faysal', 'Khokon', 'Polash', and 'Mithun'.

Sujon’s elder brother Maqsudur Rahman alleged Jahidur had threatened to close down his brother’s business if he failed to pay Tk 100,000 each month the SI had demanded.

Sujon was tortured to death as he did not pay the money, Maqsudur claimed.

Police have formed a committee, headed by Mirpur division Additional DC Jasim Uddin, to investigate the accusations.

The family claims Mirpur police OC Salauddin Khan, too, was an accomplice to the killing.