BANGLADESH: Man illegally arrested and detained then tortured and killed in the remand of the police in Dhaka 

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that a man was arbitrarily arrested and detained then tortured and subsequently killed by the police attached to the Mohammadpur police station in Dhaka. The police arrested the man after suspecting him of involvement in a theft case, which took place in a jewelers shop at the New Super Market at the Sobhanbag.

The police, upon taking the man into remand, proceeded to beat him with hockey sticks. The victim sustained considerable injuries to his body, which was evident when it was later examined at the morgue of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

However, the police claim that the victim was involved in a theft case and when they went to retrieve the stolen goods, the victim fell ill and so they admitted him at the Sowrawardi hospital. His wife and neighbour, conversely, state that the victim had been in good health and was suffering from no ailment.

Following the victim’s death, the police then intimidated the medical doctors, who were on duty at the Sohrawardi Hospital, and forced them to report that the victim had died only after being admitted. The police have filed a case of unnatural death with the Mohammadpur police station.

The AHRC is calling upon you to write letters to the relevant authorities in Bangladesh, in particular the Inspector General of Police and the Ministry of Home Affairs, urging them to take immediate disciplinary and legal action against the errant policemen of the Mohammadpur police station. The necessary reparations for the family of the victims must be met.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission
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DETAILED INFORMATION:

Name of the victim: Shafiuddin Shafi (35), a private security guard living at house #55/1/A at Sultanganj under Rayerbazar area in Dhaka
Date of incident: 30 November 2005
Name of alleged perpetrators: Sub Inspector Ismail and Sub Inspector Shawkat attached to the Civil Team of the Mohammadpur police station

On 30 November 2005, the police of the Mohammadpur police station of Dhaka city arrested Shafiul Islam Shafi (35) after suspecting his involvement in a theft which took place at a jeweler’s shop in New Super Market in the Sobhanbag area of the city. Shafi, who had been previously worked as a private security guard at the market and who was being irregularly paid his wages, went to the authority of the market to seek his due salary.  The police arrested him soon after from his house seemingly upon the request of the market authority.

On 1 December, Shafi was produced before the Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court and was taken into remand for three days. Police Sub Inspector, Mr. Ismail and Sub Inspector Mr. Shawkat, who are members of the Civil Team of the Mohammadpur police station, tortured him with hockey sticks in the police station after receiving him in remand. Subsequently, he died allegedly at the hands of the police who took Shafi to the Sohrawardy Hospital after he had already died, according to the declaration by the medical doctors who were on duty there when he arrived.

On the same day, the police intimidated the doctors of the Sohrawardy Hospital. Eyewitnesses at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) morgue reported that there were a number of considerable injuries found over the legs and hands of the dead body of Shafi. A report by an unnamed but reliable source also revealed that SI Ismail and SI Shawkat beat Shafi with hockey sticks while taking him into a room on the first floor of the police station on December 1, immediately after getting him in remand from the court.

However, the police claim that following Shafi providing a confessional statement regarding his involvement in the theft case, they went to recover the stolen goods from Mr. Jamism’s house at the Agargaon area of the city. On the way, they maintain, Shafi fell sick. The police say they then rushed him to the Sohrawardy Hospital. Shafi’s wife, Mrs. Sahera Begum, however, has asserted that her husband was in good health when he left home to seek his due salary from the market authority. The landlady of Shafi’s house, Mrs. Mamtaj Begum supported Sahera’s claim.

Meanwhile, the autopsy of the dead body of Shafi was done the by the forensic medicine doctors at the DMCH morgue following an inquest report prepared by Magistrate Mr. Nani Gopal Biswas. The Mohammadpur police filed a case of Unnatural Death (UD) with the police station following Shafi’s death.  It has been alleged that the police persuaded the forensic examiners to prepare a concocted report on the death.

A large number of people protested on December 2 regarding Shafi’s death, saying that the theft case against Shafi was “completely false”, and had been crafted by the Mohammadpur police to defend their crimes.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please send a letter immediately to the Inspector General of Police and the other persons below expressing your concern about the arbitrary arrest, torture and killing of Shafi urging them to take prompt action to investigating the conduct of the police and to ensure that justice is attained for the family of the victim.

 

 

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