A trial court in Sylhet on Tuesday deferred till Wednesday the recording of statement in the case of custodial death of a 34-year-old man in 2020.

On October 10, 2020, Rayhan Ahmed, a resident of Akhalia in Sylhet city, was allegedly brutally tortured at Bandar Bazar police outpost. He died the next day at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College and Hospital.

Also read: Raihan’s custodial death: Trial of ex-SI Akbar, 5 others from May 10

"The trial procedure was deferred as a writ petition has been filed in the High Court, seeking quashing of the FIR filed in the case against the accused -- five cops and a local journalist," said Nowshad Ahmed Chowdhury, the public prosecutor at Sylhet Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court.

The five accused cops, including former in-charge of Bandar Bazar police outpost sub-inspector Akbar Hossain Bhuiyan, were produced in the court on Tuesday amid tight security.

On May 5, 2021, Awlad Hossain, inspector of Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) and investigating officer in the case, submitted a chargesheet in this case against the six accused.

On April 18, this year the court framed charges against all the accused. The five policemen are currently in jail but the sixth accused is on the run.

The accused in this case are suspended SI Akbar Hossain Bhuiyan, SI Hasan Uddin, ASI Asheq Elahi, and constables Titu Chandra Das and Harunur Rashid, and Abdullah Al Noman, a journalist who allegedly deleted the CCTV footage of the incident.

Also read:Raihan murder: Court asks fugitive accused to surrender

The case was filed against the accused following a complaint from Rayhan’s wife Tahmina Akter Tanni at Kotwali Police Station the next day.

Police had initially rejected the allegation and claimed that Rayhan was caught by locals in the Kastghar area during a robbery attempt and was lynched.