Shariful Islam

Today is likely to be the culmination of a long and strenuous battle for justice.

Imtiaz Hossain Rocky has waged a six-and-a-half-year struggle to see justice for his elder brother, Ishtiaq Hossain Jonny, who was tortured to death allegedly by a police team.

His quest for justice has not only been rocky, but fraught with danger all through. There were threats, intimidation and even monetary temptation, but Rocky chose not to give up the fight.

With fingers crossed, he is waiting for today’s judgment to be delivered by a Dhaka court in the case, the first ever filed under the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act, 2013. Today’s verdict will also be the first under this Act.

“I hope I get justice,” Rocky told The Daily Star.

For their mother Khursheda Begum, the last six and a half years have been spent in seemingly unending agony.

“I hope those who are involved in torturing my beloved son to death will be given the highest punishment,” she said.

“If they are not punished, the life of my only surviving son may be in danger. I have lost one son and live each day in the fear that the accused may cause harm to my other son. I am always scared when my son goes out,” she said in a choked voice.

“At times, the accused police officials have intimidated me and the key witnesses by hiring local goons and using politically influential people so that I withdraw the case or the witnesses refrain from testifying in court,” Rocky said.

“At other times, they [the accused] or their family members offered huge sums of money to withdraw the case. But I pledged to continue the fight until the killers of my brother are punished.”

Financial constraints were a constant but Rocky, the lone breadwinner of his family -- consisting of his mother, Jonny’s wife and two children -- had to spend around Tk 10 lakh to fight the legal battle.