SHAHEEN MOLLAH and MOHAMMAD JAMIL KHAN

Following the filing of a rape case on April 9 last year, Adabor police launched an investigation. Forensic and DNA tests were conducted at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

But the probe suffered a major setback when the test reports, along with 76 case documents, evidence relating to around 100 cases and registration books, were destroyed in a massive fire started amid protests on August 5 during the mass uprising.

“The destruction of evidence delayed the submission of charge sheet in the case. The delay allowed the accused to secure bail from court, much to the frustration of the victim and the investigators,” said Sub-Inspector Rakibul Islam of Adabor Police Station.

“We are trying to gather all related documents, but it’s proving to be a difficult task,” he added.

Not only Adabor, 12 other stations under Dhaka Metropolitan Police were set alight between August 5 and 6 last year, resulting in the destruction of 1,200 case documents and 1,100 pieces of evidence, including forensic and DNA reports.

These stations are located in Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Badda, Jatrabari, Khilgaon, Paltan, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Shyampur, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Bhatara, Wari, and Khilkhet areas.

When asked, SN Nazrul Islam, additional commissioner at the DMP headquarters, said, “We have managed to collect copies of almost all case documents lost in the fires. But we are facing problems in retrieving the pieces of evidence.”

“If police fail to recover a piece of evidence in a case, the investigation team has to file a general diary and then submit its copy to the court concerned,” he added.

The police faced intense public backlash for its role in the violent crackdown including indiscriminate firing and excessive use of force against protesters during the uprising. Many police officers have been accused of suppressing dissent through arbitrary arrests, torture, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearance during the tenure of the Awami League government.

REELING FROM DAMAGES

Among the affected stations, the worst-hit was Jatrabari, where a devastating fire not only destroyed vehicles, case records, and evidence but also claimed the lives of at least six law enforcers.

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