A Dhaka court yesterday ordered a judicial enquiry into the police excesses on opposition workers during September 21 hartal after an opposition leader filed a criminal case against the state minister for home, inspector general of police (IGP) and 248 policemen in tliis connection.

Awami Swechchhascbak League President ATM Bahauddin Nasim filed the case with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court against the accused that includes several high-ranking police officials.

Taking the complaint into cognisance, Metropolitan Magistrate ABM Abdul Fattah recorded statement of the complainant and ordered the judicial probe.

Swechchhascbak League general

Judicial probe

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secretary, assistant general secretary and seven others were made prosecution witnesses.

The accused include State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, IGP Anwarul Iqbal, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner SM Mizanur Rahman and Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Tejgaon Kohinur Miah.

The other accused are five additional IGs of different departments, additional police commissioner, two joint commissioners, two DCs, seven additional deputy commissioners (ADCs), 11 assistant commissioners (ACs), superintendent of police Dhaka, officers-in-charge (OC) of New Market and Dhamondi police stations, four inspectors, seven sub-inspectors (SIs) and over 200 other policemen.

A contingent of police led by ADCs Mostafizur Rahman, Abdur Mabud and Shafiqul Islam and the OCs Saiful Islam and Mahbubur Rahman attacked a Swechchhasebak League procession in front of the Metro Shopping Mall at Russel Square in the city around 10:00am on September 21, Nasim said in his complaint.

As per direction of the home minister and several other police high officials, the accused mercilessly beat up people taking part in the procession for over half an hour. They also attacked Nasim when he went there to save his leaders and activists from police brutality, Nasim said.

In the attack, Swechchhasebak League General Secretary Pankaj Debnath, the complainant and a large number of leaders and activists were injured. Moreover, he had to go to Singapore for better treatment, Nasim added.

Following the incident, Dhanmondi police refused to register a case, when leaders and activists went there to file a case in this connection.

Advocates Sahara Khatun, Nuruzzaman Nani, Abdul Baten and Monzu Naznin moved the case on behalf of the complainant.