Four policemen, including the officer-in-charge (OC) of Ashulia Police Station, yesterday offered unconditional apology to the High Court for keeping a Jahangirnagar University (JU) student handcuffed during treatment at a Savar hospital.

The four are OC Mohsinul Quader, Sub-inspector Nahid and constables Sentu and Halim.

Appearing before the HC bench of Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice AKM Zahirul Hoque, they also prayed for exemption from having to appear in person at future hearings.

The court accepted their prayer.

It also fixed July 9 for hearing a suomoto (on its own motion) rule it issued on May 29 after hearing on a report placed before itby SM Rezaul Karim.

The report of The Daily Star, bearing the headline "Handcuffed to hospital bed", said the student, Nazmul Hossain, fell sick on May 27 while protesting the death of two JU students in a road accident in Savar.

On May 29, police showed 42 JU students, including Nazmul, arrested in a vandalism case. During treatment at Enam Medical College & Hospital, one of Nazmul's hands was handcuffed to the hospital bed.

When he requested removal of the handcuffs so he could eat, police refused to do so, witnesses and his fellows alleged. Narrating the ordeal, Nazmul on May 31 told The Daily Star that a constable even threatened to shoot him and tie his legs if he spoke further.

Rezaul Karim, a lawyer of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust, had also sought necessary orders, saying the law does not permit handcuffing of an accused during treatment.

In the suomoto rule, the court asked the authorities to explain why the handcuffing should not be declared illegal. The court also summoned the OC to appear before it on May 31 to explain the incident.

The OC duly appeared and said he was not on duty during the incident and that the other three were responsible for handcuffing Nazmul.

The HC then ordered the four to appear on June 5 (yesterday) to explain their conducts. Abdul Matin Khasru and Anabil Ananda Roy appeared for the policemen.