FACT IN BRIEF:
i)Tea Shopkeeper Rafiqul Islam Dudu Dies After Alleged Police Torture in Bheramara, Kushtia
On December 13, police allegedly killed a tea shopkeeper by throwing him off the bridge over the GK canal in Bheramara, Kushtia. On that day, a five-member team led by SI Salauddin of Bheramara Police Station conducted a raid in Chandipur of Chandgam Union. There, the police called Rafiqul Islam Dudu, a tea shopkeeper near bridge number four of the Ganga-Kapotaksh (GK) project, to the bridge.
Eyewitnesses claim that the police beat Rafiqul, leading to a scuffle. At one point, a police officer pushed Rafiqul off the bridge and threw him into the canal, where he died.
Chandgam Union Parishad Chairman Abdul Hafiz Tapan said, “My office is next to the bridge. I went there and sat down shortly before Isha prayers.” Other members were also present at the time. About ten minutes later, news arrived that Dudu was being taken away by the police. When he wanted to go to the spot, the members told him, “You sit down, we’ll check.” Five minutes later, a huge commotion erupted. People were shouting that the police had killed Dudu.
Chairman Abdul Hafiz claimed that there were longstanding extortion allegations against these police officers. He mentioned that these officers had previously been accused of taking money from Dudu and speculated that something similar might have happened again. However, there were no complaints against Dudu at the police station, and he was known as a good man by the locals, which fueled the community's anger.
Saikat Ali, the victim's son, said, “The police of Bheramara Police Station killed my father in a planned, unjust, and brutal manner. I want exemplary justice for this.” He added, “My father was a good man; you can ask anyone.”
Rafiqul's wife, Sajeda Khatun, said, “I want those who orphaned my children to be hanged. Why did my healthy husband leave home and return as a dead body? I want answers.”
Regarding the complaint, Bheramara Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sheikh Shahidul Islam stated, “The police went on an anti-drug operation. The police did not even touch Rafiqul, let alone arrest him. He came out of the shop on his own and jumped off the bridge.”
Kushtia Superintendent of Police Mizanur Rahman said that a committee is being formed to investigate the complaint. He added, “An investigation committee is being formed. We are also conducting investigations in various ways. Details will be announced after the investigation.”
ii) Dubai Expatriate Hazrat Ali Dies After Alleged Torture by Joint Force in Brahmanbaria
On the early morning of December 6, members of the joint force went to Hazrat Ali, a Dubai expatriate, at his house around 3 a.m. to arrest him for an alleged robbery in Bhelanagar village of Chayfullahkandi union in Bancharampur upazila of Brahmanbaria. When Hazrat Ali was not found at home, they searched for him and caught him from a tree near the house. Later, they tied him to a mango tree in the courtyard and began beating him. Around 5 a.m., Hazrat was dragged from the garden and taken to the police station.
Later, members of the army and police brought him to the health complex at around 8 a.m. and administered primary treatment. However, when his health deteriorated, he was taken to the health complex again at around 9:30 a.m., where the doctor on duty declared him dead.
Shimu Akhter, the sister of the deceased Hazrat Ali, complained that members of the joint force came to their house around 3 a.m. on early Friday. Not finding her brother Hazrat Ali at home, they searched for him near the house and eventually caught him from a tree. The joint force members tied him to a mango tree in the courtyard and began beating him. They dragged him out of the house at around 5 a.m. Later, they received news of his death.
Bancharampur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Morshedul Alam Chowdhury stated that a robbery incident took place on Thursday night in Pahatli Rond of Rupsadi Union. In connection with that incident, army members arrested three people at midnight. One of them was brought to the Upazila Health Complex at midnight. The police have no involvement in this incident.
iii) Jubo Dal Leader Atiq Hasan Sardar Dies After Alleged Torture by Law Enforcement in Jessore
On December 3, 2024, Atiq Hasan Sardar (39) allegedly died due to torture by law enforcement forces in Dakatia village of Jessore Sadar. He passed away at night while undergoing treatment at Khulna Medical College Hospital after being tied to a litchi tree in the courtyard of his house on Tuesday evening.
Relatives allege that Hasan was tortured under the pretext of recovering drugs. However, officials from the Jessore army camp have denied the allegations of torture and stated that the incident will be investigated.
Hasan's relatives claim that he left his house on a motorcycle on Tuesday afternoon to buy jackfruit leaves for his goats. He had not been seen since then. In the evening, members of the law enforcement forces, dressed in plain clothes, brought Hasan back to his home in a microbus. Two army vehicles arrived shortly after.
Hasan's father, Abdur Razzak Sardar, said, “As soon as they (the army) arrived, the electricity in the area went out. Four or five of them hung my son from a litchi tree in my yard. The others pushed us away. Then they started beating him. They beat him with sticks. Unable to bear my son's cries, his mother (Manowara Begum) ran to him. She was also beaten and pushed away. My daughter-in-law was also beaten while trying to save her husband. After a long beating, they took Hasan to the Nurpur intersection, where they allegedly beat him again. Later, they brought him back home and beat him once more. They left our son almost dead in front of our daughter-in-law.”
Hasan's wife, Shanta Begum, alleged, “When the army was beating him like a cow, my eldest son and I tried to intervene. They beat us too. Around 8:30 p.m., they called me and left Hasan almost dead, forcing me to say, ‘I found my husband healthy.’ They recorded this on video. They also threatened me, saying that if the drugs were not recovered, they would beat me and my sons too.”
The deceased's cousins, Tarek and Mukul, said that after the vehicles left, Hasan was quickly taken to the Jessore 250-bed hospital. After two hours of treatment there, the doctors advised transferring him to Dhaka or Khulna. Without delay, he was taken to Khulna Medical College Hospital. Hasan died around 4 a.m.
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