Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation (MSF) today (January 19, 2023) condemned the death of a trader "in police custody" in Gazipur and demanded legal action against those involved after ensuring fair investigation.
Family members and locals say that Rabiul Islam, 40, a resident of Peyara Bagan in Gazipur city died while in police custody. The incident came to light on Wednesday.
According to the statement of MSF, the statement of police over the incident was not acceptable. The organization demanded fair investigation into the death, autopsy and publication of the autopsy report.
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They also demanded legal action against those involved after finding out the actual reason behind the death.
Police arrested Rabiul along with three others on charge of gambling on January 14. However, police released three of them.
On January 17, a team of police went to the house of Rabiul and took a signature on a white paper from his wife, the latter said. After that, Rabiul’s wife came to know that her husband was dead.
Read more: Trader’s death in ‘police custody’: Locals block Dhaka-M’sing, Dhaka-Tangail highways
Malek Khasru, officer-in-charge of Basan Police Station, said two sub-inspectors took Rabiul to the police station and they let him go from the police station on January 17. But on the way home, Rabiul was knocked down by a truck, he said. Later, he was taken to Shaheed Tajuddin Medical College and Hospital and he died there, according to police.
Enraged by the death, local people, equipped with sticks, put up barricades on Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways on Wednesday morning, disrupting traffic movement.
Two policemen of Gazipur Metropolitan Police were withdrawn from their duty on Wednesday over the death.
Read More: Trader’s death in ‘police custody’: Locals block Dhaka-M’sing, Dhaka-Tangail highways
The policemen are: Mahbub and Nurul Islam, both assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs) of Bason Police Station, Gazipur Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (Crime) Abu Torab Mohammad Shamsur Rahman told UNB.
Meanwhile, a three-member probe committee headed by Additional Police Commissioner of Gazipur Metropolitan Police Md Delwar Hossain has been formed to investigate this incident, he added.