BANGLADESH: Man illegally arrested and detained then tortured and killed in the remand of the police in Dhaka 

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal Case: UA-227-2005
ISSUES: Extrajudicial killings,

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that a man was arbitrarily arrested and detained then tortured and subsequently killed by the police attached to the Mohammadpur police station in Dhaka. The police arrested the man after suspecting him of involvement in a theft case, which took place in a jewelers shop at the New Super Market at the Sobhanbag.

The police, upon taking the man into remand, proceeded to beat him with hockey sticks. The victim sustained considerable injuries to his body, which was evident when it was later examined at the morgue of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

However, the police claim that the victim was involved in a theft case and when they went to retrieve the stolen goods, the victim fell ill and so they admitted him at the Sowrawardi hospital. His wife and neighbour, conversely, state that the victim had been in good health and was suffering from no ailment.

Following the victim’s death, the police then intimidated the medical doctors, who were on duty at the Sohrawardi Hospital, and forced them to report that the victim had died only after being admitted. The police have filed a case of unnatural death with the Mohammadpur police station.

The AHRC is calling upon you to write letters to the relevant authorities in Bangladesh, in particular the Inspector General of Police and the Ministry of Home Affairs, urging them to take immediate disciplinary and legal action against the errant policemen of the Mohammadpur police station. The necessary reparations for the family of the victims must be met.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission
…………………………………
DETAILED INFORMATION:

Name of the victim: Shafiuddin Shafi (35), a private security guard living at house #55/1/A at Sultanganj under Rayerbazar area in Dhaka
Date of incident: 30 November 2005
Name of alleged perpetrators: Sub Inspector Ismail and Sub Inspector Shawkat attached to the Civil Team of the Mohammadpur police station

On 30 November 2005, the police of the Mohammadpur police station of Dhaka city arrested Shafiul Islam Shafi (35) after suspecting his involvement in a theft which took place at a jeweler’s shop in New Super Market in the Sobhanbag area of the city. Shafi, who had been previously worked as a private security guard at the market and who was being irregularly paid his wages, went to the authority of the market to seek his due salary.  The police arrested him soon after from his house seemingly upon the request of the market authority.

On 1 December, Shafi was produced before the Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court and was taken into remand for three days. Police Sub Inspector, Mr. Ismail and Sub Inspector Mr. Shawkat, who are members of the Civil Team of the Mohammadpur police station, tortured him with hockey sticks in the police station after receiving him in remand. Subsequently, he died allegedly at the hands of the police who took Shafi to the Sohrawardy Hospital after he had already died, according to the declaration by the medical doctors who were on duty there when he arrived.

On the same day, the police intimidated the doctors of the Sohrawardy Hospital. Eyewitnesses at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) morgue reported that there were a number of considerable injuries found over the legs and hands of the dead body of Shafi. A report by an unnamed but reliable source also revealed that SI Ismail and SI Shawkat beat Shafi with hockey sticks while taking him into a room on the first floor of the police station on December 1, immediately after getting him in remand from the court.

However, the police claim that following Shafi providing a confessional statement regarding his involvement in the theft case, they went to recover the stolen goods from Mr. Jamism’s house at the Agargaon area of the city. On the way, they maintain, Shafi fell sick. The police say they then rushed him to the Sohrawardy Hospital. Shafi’s wife, Mrs. Sahera Begum, however, has asserted that her husband was in good health when he left home to seek his due salary from the market authority. The landlady of Shafi’s house, Mrs. Mamtaj Begum supported Sahera’s claim.

Meanwhile, the autopsy of the dead body of Shafi was done the by the forensic medicine doctors at the DMCH morgue following an inquest report prepared by Magistrate Mr. Nani Gopal Biswas. The Mohammadpur police filed a case of Unnatural Death (UD) with the police station following Shafi’s death.  It has been alleged that the police persuaded the forensic examiners to prepare a concocted report on the death.

A large number of people protested on December 2 regarding Shafi’s death, saying that the theft case against Shafi was “completely false”, and had been crafted by the Mohammadpur police to defend their crimes.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please send a letter immediately to the Inspector General of Police and the other persons below expressing your concern about the arbitrary arrest, torture and killing of Shafi urging them to take prompt action to investigating the conduct of the police and to ensure that justice is attained for the family of the victim.

 

 

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear _______________

BANGLADESH: Man illegally arrested and detained then tortured and killed in the remand of the police in Dhaka

Name of the victim: Shafiul Islam Shafi (35), a private security guard living at house #55/1/A at Sultanganj under Rayerbazar area in Dhaka
Date of incident: 30 November 2005
Name of alleged perpetrators: Sub Inspector Ismail and Sub Inspector Shawkat attached to the Civil Team of the Mohammadpur police station

I am writing to bring to your attention the alleged arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and extra-judicial killing of a man by the Mohammadpur police in Bangladesh.

According to the information I have received, the victim was detained in the police station and forced to confess to an alleged theft that had occurred in a jewelers shop. In an attempt to get those confessions, the police brought him in remand from the Court, and brutally tortured him with hockey sticks, which ultimately resulted in his death. This torture took place in the Mohammadpur police station. The victim sustained considerable injuries, which was evident when his body was later examined at the morgue of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Additionally, the police intimidated the medical doctors who were on duty at the Sohrawardy Hospital and persuaded them to report that Shafi was alive upon arrival at the hospital. The policemen claim that the deceased gave a confessional statement to them prior his death, although the wife of the victim, the landlady of their house and neighbours deny the allegation of his involvement.

In light of this, I request that you order a prompt and thorough investigation into the alleged conduct of the police.  If it is found that the alleged perpetrators committed crimes against the victim, then they must be made accountable for their actions and if found guilty of torture, indicted under the prevailing domestic laws of your country.  

What is more, if the charges of theft are found to have been fabricated then the Mohammadpur Police must drop the charges and compensate the family of the deceased person for the loss they have suffered.  During the investigation of the police, protection must be afforded to the family of the victim.  
  
Such action by the police is common practice in many of Bangladesh’s police stations and other law enforcement agents. It reflects the lack of training many police officers have in terms of investigation skills, and the excessive powers they wield and abuse.

Therefore, I urge you and other government officials in Bangladesh to consider reforming your current law enforcement system by introducing better training programmes for your police officers and to make them more accountable for the abuses they have committed against ordinary citizens of Bangladesh.

I look forward to your urgent intervention in this matter.

Yours sincerely,

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PLEASE SEND LETTER TO:

1. Mr. Abdul Quayum
Inspector General of Police (IGP)
Police Headquarters’
Fulbaria, Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH
Tel: +88-02-9562054 or 7176451 or 7176677 (O), +88-02-8362552 or 8362553 (R)
Fax: +88-02-9563362 or 9563363

2. Mr. Mizanur Rahman Khan
Commissioner
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP)
The DMP Headquarters
1, Shaheed Captain Monsur Ali Road
Ramna, Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH
Tel: +88-02-8322746 or 8316248 (O), +88-02-8855922 (R)
Fax: +88-02-8322746 (O)

3. Mr. Md. Lutfozzaman Babor
State Minister 
The Ministry of Home Affairs
Government of the Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh 
The Bangladesh Secretariat
Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH
Tel: +88-02-7169069 (O) or 8359000 (R)
Fax: +88-02-7160405, +88-02-7164788

4. Mr. Anwarul Karim
Joint Secretary (Police)
Ministry of Home Affairs
Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Bangladesh Secretariat
Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH
Tel: +88-02-7164680 (O) or 8953012 (R)
Fax: +88-02-7171592

5. The Attorney General of Bangladesh
The Office of the Attorney General
Supreme Court Building
Ramna, Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH

6. Mr. Sayed J. R. Modassir Hossain
The Chief Justice
The Supreme Court of Bangladesh
Supreme Court Building
Ramna, Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH

7. Prof. Manfred Nowak
Special Rapporteur on the Question of Torture
Attn: Mr.Sarir Syed
C/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel:+41 22 917 9230
Fax:+41 22 9179016 (general)
E-mail: ssyed@ohchr.org

8. Ms Leila Zerrougui
Chairperson
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
c/o Miguel de la Lama
OHCHR-UNOG 
1211 Geneva 10 
SWITZERLAND 
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (ATTENTION: Working Group on Arbitrary Detention)
Email: mdelalama@ohchr.org

9. Mr. Philip Alston 
Special Rapporteur on Extra-judicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions 
Attn: Lydie Ventre 
Room 3-016, c/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND 
Tel: +41 22 917 9155
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (general)
Email: lventre@ohchr.org

Thank you.

Urgent Appeal Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission

Document Type : Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID : UA-227-2005
Countries : Bangladesh,
Issues : Extrajudicial killings,