HC summons OC, addl SP, magistrate
FROM PAGE 12
The bench of Justice Mustafa and Justice Md Aminul Islam ordered the trio to appear before the HC on July 16.
The boss of the two policemen concerned, Shariatpur Superintendent of Police Saiful Haque, has been replaced by Md Mahbubul Alam, an SP of the Highway Police in Madaripur.
Speaking to our Shariatpur correspondent, Saddam and Bokul described the ordeal they went through in the early hours of May 30 during a police raid at their friend’s home in Keraniganj of Dhaka.
Some readers may find the brothers’ descriptions of the torture in the following four paragraphs very graphic and disturbing.
“The OC [Sheikh Md Mostafizur Rahman] held my mouth open, while Additional SP Rasel Monir continued to beat up my younger brother Bokul and ordered him to urinate into my mouth,” Saddam told our correspondent.
“Bokul was being beaten up brutally and he was forced to comply. But he still managed to avoid the mouth and urinated on my body,” said Saddam as Bokul sat next to him with downcast eyes.
“Additional SP Monir pulled out my nails with pliers,” added Bokul. His digits still bear evidence of the torture. His left thumbnail has been pulled clean off, revealing a drying scab, while the big toenail is hanging by a thread of skin.
Marks of bruises are all over their bodies.
The brothers were accused of robbing Shahin Alam Sheikh, returning from Kolkata on a Dhaka-bound bus with $17,000, and another man on May 21.
In the case filed on May 23, police alleged that the brothers’ cohort aboard the bus stopped the vehicle near the Bhanga-Naodoba culvert wishing to get off.
When the bus stopped, the brothers along with others got on board, dragged Shahin and his companion out, beat them up, and robbed them, the FIR claims.
Shahin trades foreign currencies in the black market.
The Chowkdar brothers deny the allegation. They say the case was filed because of political rivalry. Shahin is a relative of Zajira Chhatra League President Rubel Byapari.
“There was a scuffle but we did not rob Shahin,” said Saddam.
Rubel was allegedly present during the raid in Keraniganj and participated in the torture, but this newspaper could not reach him despite many attempts.
Shahin’s aunt told The Daily Star that his money, amounting to Tk 21 lakh, is missing.
The two brothers did not return home after the case was filed and went to the High Court for bail.
After they got bail in Dhaka, they headed for their home in Shariatpur with a stopover at a friend’s place in Keraniganj on May 29.
Police raided the friend’s house at 1:00am. “They forced their way in and even though we showed the police the bail order, they handcuffed us and started beating us up,” said Saddam.
“The torture continued until 7:30 in the morning.”
They were then taken to a spot under the Padma Bridge and told that they were to be killed in a so-called crossfire, Saddam said.
“We were then blindfolded and driven around in a car for over an hour. Then we were taken to a building [later understood to be the police station] and our hands were cuffed to something in a room,” said Saddam.
They remained in that state until late in the evening when they were taken to the OC’s room.
“We found our relative Abu Zafar Thandu being beaten up. Police demanded Tk 72 lakh for our release,” said Saddam.
The two were kept in the lock-up and finally sent to court on June 2, more than 72 hours after they were apprehended.
Their father Abdur Rashid said that he signed over two of his shops to a person who gave cheques for Tk 72 lakh that were given to the policemen.
Rashid was arrested on May 23 and sent to jail. He claimed that he too was tortured in custody.
“They raided my house at 2:00am and picked up my wife, daughter-in-law and her year-old baby. They took us to the police station, where I was beaten up, and threatened to be forced to drink urine if I did not reveal where my sons were. I kept saying that I did not know,” said the 70-year-old.
Saiful Haque who was the SP of Shariatpur until yesterday refused to comment on the torture allegedly perpetrated by his subordinates.
The Daily Star could not reach the OC and the additional SP for comments.