Ex-SP Babul Akter moves to sue police over alleged torture

Babul Akter, who is accused of masterminding the murder of his wife Mahmuda Akter Mitu, blamed police for torturing him to ‘extract a confession.’

Babul Akter, a former superintendent of police suspected of masterminding the murder of his wife Mahmuda Akter Mitu, has moved a court to file a case against six police officers, including the chief of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), for torturing him to ‘extract a confession'.

His lawyers filed the petition with Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Jebunnessa Begum on Thursday.

Akter complained the police tortured him on many occasions after taking him into their custody and tried to extract a confession from him over the murder of his wife, lawyer Kafiluddin Chowdhury said.

The court will make a decision on the complaint on Sept 19, he said.

PBI chief Banaj Kumar Majumder, SP Nazmul Hasan of Chattogram PBI, SP Nayeema Sultana of Chattogram Metropolitan Police, the then Chattogram PBI inspectors Santosh Kumar Chakma and AKM Mohiuddin Selim and PBI Inspector Kazi Enayet Kabir have been named in the case.

The police officers had professional rivalries with the plaintiff, according to lawyer Kafiluddin. After his wife was murdered, Babul filed a case himself. The lawyer said the defendants tortured Babul in the custody to get his confession.

A new case was filed over Mitu's murder on May 12 after investigators found that the plaintiff in the initial murder case, Babul, was involved in the killing. Babul was arrested in the new case and the authorities appealed for a five-day remand.

Babul complained he was detained from May 10 to May 17 and tortured in custody where he was handcuffed, not allowed to sleep or take a bath and was also denied water for ablution before prayers, the case document says. Babul was detained illegally, threatened to be harmed, demeaned and tortured, it said.

Mitu was hacked and shot dead near the GEC Intersection in Chattogram on the morning of Jun 5, 2016, while she was taking her son to school.

After the killing of his wife, Babul himself filed a murder case against unknown suspects with the port city’s Panchlaish Police Station.

The PBI said they found evidence directly linking Babul Akter to the daylight murder of his wife Mahmuda Akter Mitu in their final report on the initial case. Mitu’s father Mosharraf opened a fresh murder case against Babul and nine others on the same day.

PBI submitted the final report on Jan 25 on the case filed by Mosharraf and the court accepted it on Mar 6.