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Death of driver Johnny at Pallabi Police Station প্রথম First sentence under torture and death in custody law (prevention)
A court sentenced three Pallabi police officers to life imprisonment in a case brought against them for torturing and killing driver Ishtiaq Hossain Johnny in police custody. At the same time, they were fined 1 lakh Tk and given another six months of rigorous prison for non-payment.
The Grand Alliance government led by the Awami League enacted the ‘Torture and Death in Custody (Prevention) Act’ in 2013. The law was first announced in the country on Wednesday, seven years after its enactment. The policemen convicted and expelled are: the then SI of the Pallabi Police Station Zahidur Rahman Zahid, ASI Rashedul Haque and ASI Kamruzzaman Mintu. Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge KM Imrul Kayesh delivered the verdict in a packed court on Wednesday. The court fined the three convicted members Tk 2 lakh. If the victim’s family does not pay this money, they will not be able to appeal to the higher court.
The judge said the defendant brutally tortured Johnny while holding him in the custody of the Pallabi Police Station. In a moment of torture, Johnny wants water to eat. But then they spit on him instead of water. The torture of Johnny in police custody is abhorrent and a violation of human rights. Although SI Zahid saw the other two policemen during the torture, they did not help the victim but rather assisted in the crime. So everyone is equally guilty. For this they were given the maximum punishment that the law gives. And one thing everyone should keep in mind is that no one is above the law.
The verdict ordered Johnny’s family to pay the fine within the next 14 days. If they don’t pay, they won’t be able to appeal the life sentence, the court ruled. Meanwhile, the court sentenced Sumon and Rashed, two other defendants in the case, to seven years in rigorous prison. At the same time, a fine of 20,000 taka and a fine of three more months for non-payment was imposed. Among the five convicted are ASI Kamruzzaman Mintu and source Rashed fugitive. ASI Rashedul Haque, who was released on bail, was sent to jail with a court order after the verdict.
In the verdict, the judge said, this is the first verdict in any case in the country under the Torture and Death in Custody (Prevention) Act of 2013. And the punishment given to the three police officers is the maximum punishment under this law.
According to the file, on February 8, 2014, during a local wedding ceremony in Mirpur Sector 11, a Sumon police source treated the girls indecently. At that point, Johnny and his brother Rocky Source told Sumon to leave. But he didn’t go and called the police. The police came and arrested Johnny. When the locals chased the police, they opened fire. After being detained, Johnny’s physical condition deteriorated in a stage of torture in the custody of the Pallabi Police Station. He was taken to the National Hospital and then to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where the doctor on duty pronounced Johnny dead. Imtiaz Hossain Rocky, brother of the deceased, filed a lawsuit against eight individuals, including the Officer-in-Charge (CO) of the Pallabi Police Station, Ziaur Rahman, under the Torture and Death in Police Custody Act in the Court of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judges on August 8, 2014. The court ordered a judicial investigation into the allegations. On February 17, 2015, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Maruf Hossain filed a report indicting five people, including the three convicted policemen. Five people, including OC Ziaur Rahman, were acquitted. On April 17, 2016, the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge brought charges against the defendants and ordered the trial to begin. The court then took the testimony of 24 witnesses on behalf of the state. The verdict was released yesterday after taking evidence, defending himself and arguing.
In response to the verdict, Additional Prosecutor Tapas Kumar Pal said that the defendants had been given the maximum sentence. No one is above the law, that is what the verdict has shown.
Johnny’s brother, Imtiaz Hossain Rocky, said: “We have received justice from the court.” My family and I are satisfied. However, attorneys for the defendants said they would appeal the verdict.
Ittefaq / BAF
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