Allegations of staging a gunfight and harming suspects bodily have been brought against Gazipur Metropolitan Detective Branch (DB) of Police (South) in Tongi.
DB personnel have reportedly injured three people after arresting six people from Cox's Bazar in a staged gunfight at Tongi. The DB police arrested Aminul Islam Swapan, Md Billal Hossain, Nur Mohammad, Md Ismail, Md Momen and Md Palash from Cox's Bazar on November 7.
Meanwhile, three arrested persons were injured in alleged 'gunfight' in Tongi on November 8. The injured were identified as Aminul Islam Swapan, Noor Mohammad and Ismail.
Sheela Begum Josna wife of Aminul Islam Swapan, filed a case with the Gazipur Sessions Judge Court against 8 members of the DB Police of Gazipur, alleging that the police filed a false case and shot at the suspects in the name of 'gunfight'.
She filed the case against eight police officials including DB Inspector Khandkar Farid Hossain, SI Parimal Chandra Das, SI Billal Bhuyia, SI Md Ibrahim Akand, SI Arif Hossain, Constable Md Saddam Hossain Khan, Constable Md Shaheen Mahabub and Constable
Md Ramadan. All of them are in Gazipur Metropolitan Detective Branch South Division.
Sheela told the Daily Observer that the incident of DB's alleged 'gunfight' happened on November 8 at 1:30pm. Before that, on November 7 at noon, Gazipur DB Police first arrested a person and then five more people from 'Hyperion Sea Wave' hotel located in Kalatali, Cox's Bazar. The scene of the arrest of one of the victims was seen in the hotel's CCTV footage.
She mentioned in the case, her husband. Aminul Islam Swapan was arrested from Cox's Bazar and taken to the Gazipur DB office, after which the officials brutally tortured him and made him drink urine instead of water. After that, a false drama was staged and a bullet from a pistol was fired at his leg to cripple him for life. Similarly, two more people were shot by the DB police.
A team including Gazipur DB Police Inspector Khandkar Farid Hossain, SI Parimal Chandra Das arrested Palash, the accused in the police case, from the hotel on November 7 at noon.
According to CCTV footage six people including Aminul Islam Swapan were sitting in the lounge of the Hyperion Sea Wave Hotel in the afternoon of November 6. Later they went inside the hotel. From there after some time everyone went out. The CCTV footage showed that the on the next day at noon, DB Inspector Khandkar Farid and SI Parimal Chandra Das brought Palash in front of the hotel counter in handcuffs.
Inspector operations of Cox's Bazar Sadar Police Station Shakil said, "As far as I know, no one has been informed about Gazipur's DB Police presence on November 7." He added, "If the operation is carried out, the police station concerned must be informed in writing first. We didn't get it."
Md Ibrahim Gazipur Deputy Commissioner (DC-South) of Metropolitan Detective Police of Gazipur said, "We have not received any such complaint about the court case and the alleged gunfight."
Human rights and criminology analysts say it is very sad that the accused was taken from one district to another and shot in the name of 'gunfight'. With such incidents not only the law enforcers but the image of the country is tarnished. The people of the country do not expect this from the police, according to sources.
