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Published : 11 Aug 2025, 01:44 PM
The High Court has upheld the life sentences for two police officers from Dhaka’s Pallabi Police Station over the custodial killing of driver Ishtiaq Hossain Jonny in 2014.
The court also reduced the life term of a third officer to 10 years. Meanwhile, a police informant has been acquitted, while another informant, who had already served his sentence, has been released.
The panel of Justice SM Kuddus Zaman and Justice AKM Rabiul Hassan delivered the verdict on Monday after hearing the appeals filed by the convicts against the trial court’s ruling.
In September 2020, a Dhaka court had sentenced former sub-inspector Zahidur Rahman Khan, and former assistant sub-inspectors Rashedul Islam and Kamruzzaman Mintu to life imprisonment and fined them Tk 100,000 each under Bangladesh’s Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act. Rashedul’s sentence has now been reduced to 10 years on appeal.
The case was filed in August 2014 by Jonny’s brother Imtiaz Hossain Rocky.
According to the case dossier, on Feb 8, 2014, Sumon, a police informant, attended a wedding party at Irani Camp in Pallabi. There, he allegedly harassed women while in an intoxicated state. Jonny and Rocky subsequently confronted Sumon over his behaviour, and a scuffle ensued. Sumon reportedly left, vowing revenge.
About 30 minutes later, a police team led by Zahidur nabbed the brothers and took them to the Pallabi station, where Jonny was allegedly beaten with hockey sticks and cricket stumps. When he asked for water, Zahidur allegedly spat in his face,
Jonny lost consciousness and was taken to the National Heart Foundation Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
The prosecution said that police then attempted to cover up his death in custody by claiming he was killed in a brawl between residents of Irani Camp and Rahmat Camp. Police filed a case based on this version of events, which also alleged that Jonny’s brother Rocky and others were injured in the clash.
Following an application by the plaintiff, a judicial inquiry was conducted. The investigation report was submitted on Feb 17, 2015. The report accused five people and recommended releasing five others. During the investigation, ASIs Rashedul Hasan and Kamruzzaman were added as suspects.
Later, on Apr 17, 2016, the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court framed charges against five suspects in the case. After the trial, the court delivered its verdict on Sept 9, 2020.
SI Zahidur Rahman, ASI Rashedul Hasan, and ASI Kamruzzaman were sentenced to life imprisonment, fined Tk 100,000 each and ordered to pay Tk 200,000 each in compensation to the victim’s family.
The court also sentenced police informants Sumon and Russell to seven years in prison and fined them Tk 20,000 each.
Among the five convicts, Kamruzzaman has been absconding since the beginning, while Sumon has been released after serving his sentence.
In 2020, Zahidur, Rashedul, and Russell filed separate appeals with the High Court against the trial court’s verdict. In 2021, the High Court accepted all appeals for hearing.
The appeal hearings began on Jul 9 this year. On Aug 7, after concluding the hearings, the court set Sunday for the verdict.
In its verdict, the High Court upheld the sentences of Zahidur Kamruzzaman. The sentence of Rashedul was reduced to 10 years while a fine of Tk 50,000 was imposed, with an additional three months of rigorous imprisonment in default of payment. The court also ordered him to pay an additional Tk 25,000 to the victim’s family. Russell was acquitted of the charges.
In its observations, the court said that the police -- and by extension, the state -- had failed to protect an innocent person. While people are sometimes tortured to death without trial, in this case, Jonny was entirely innocent, according to the court.
The court also ordered the rehabilitation of the victim’s mother, widow, son, and daughter.
