Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that the Rajarhat police in Kurigram district allegedly killed a man on the night of 22 June 2006. Mr. Kasi Uddin went to the police and requested the release of his younger brother, Mr. Tajul Islam, who had earlier been arrested. Sub Inspector of Police, Mr. Abdul Hakim, kicked him with his boots and other policemen also beat him. As a result, Kasim died at the scene. Government officials assured local villagers that the perpetrators would be punished. However, only one person has been suspended and arrested in connection with the case leaving the others to walk free.
On 22 June 2006, at around 12:30 am, the people of Mirerbari village under Rajarhat police station in Kurigram district were to watch a World Cup football game on television. A police team led by Sub Inspector (SI) Mr. Abdul Hakim, and including Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Mr. Nuruzzaman, Constables Mr. Mizan, Mr. Anwar, Mr. Mannan, Mr. Nurul Islam, Mr. Haidar and Mr. Sukumar, went to the Bangal para area of Mirerbari village to arrest an accused in a petition case. On the way the police arrested four persons, Mr. Tajul Islam, Mr. Ataur Rahman, Mr. Mosharraf and Mr. Fazlu Mian for playing cards in the venue where the football was to be televised.
Upon hearing of the arrests, Tajul’s elder brother, Mr. Kasim Uddin, went to the police team. Mr. Kasim requested SI Mr. Abdul Hakim to release his brother. SI Abdul Hakim kicked Kasim in the genitals causing Kasim to fall to the ground. The other policemen then proceeded to beat Kasim with sticks and boots. As a result, Kasim died at the scene.
The villagers became angry with the police after the brutal killing of Mr. Kasim. They surrounded the policemen, removed the air from the police van’s wheel and dug a hole in the road so that the police could not escape. SI Mr. Abdul Hakim managed to escape to a nearby house but the villagers followed him and trapped him inside.
Upon learning of this situation the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr. Kazi Foyzul Hossain, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the Rajarhat police station, Mr. Golam Moktadir and the Chairman of the Senai union council, Mr. Sadequl Haque Nuru went to the scene but were unable to control it. In the morning, the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of Kurigram, Mr. Santosh Kumar Adhikari, the Upazilla Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Rajarhat, Mr. Md. Mokbul Hossain, the Public Prosecutor (PP) and the president of the district Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Mr. Idris Ali, also went to the scene. They assured the agitated villagers that the alleged perpetrators would be punished by the authorities. Then, at around 11:30 am, the villagers released the policemen and handed over the dead body to the administrators.
The ADM, Mr. Santosh Kumar Adhikari said that SI Mr. Abdul Hakim has been arrested and suspended following the family of the deceased having lodged a case against the policemen. The post-mortem was conducted in the Kurigram Sadar Hospital of which the report has not yet been released. Furthermore, the authorities have not yet taken any serious action against the perpetrators regarding the beating and murder of Mr. Kasim.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please send a letter to the Prime Minister and the other persons listed below expressing your concern and urging them to take prompt action to investigate the conduct of the police to ensure that justice is attained for the victim’s family. Please urge them to arrange appropriate protection for the family of the victim and highlight that necessary compensation must be afforded to them.
Automated email letters can be sent by the AHRC Urgent Appeals on-line support system. To support this appeal please refer to http://www.ahrchk.net/support.php?ua=UA-201-2006. For those contacts without an email address, we ask that you still write a letter and post or fax this. If you have any problems or questions using this system, please feel free to contact us at ua@ahrchk.org.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear _______________
BANGLADESH: Man killed by the Rajarhat police in Kurigram district
Name of victim (tortured and killed):
1. Mr. Kasim Uddin (45), formerly of Mirerbag village under Rajarhat police station in Kurigram district
Names of victims (arrested by the police):
1. Mr. Tajul Islam (22), living in Mirerbari village under Rajarhat police station in Kurigram district
2. Mr. Ataur Rahman (20), living in Mirerbari village under Rajarhat police station in Kurigram district
3. Mr. Mosharraf (25), living in Mirerbari village under Rajarhat police station in Kurigram district
4. Mr. Fazlu Mian (21), living in Mirerbari village under Rajarhat police station in Kurigram district
Names of alleged perpetrators:
1. Mr. Abdul Hakim, Sub Inspector (SI) attached to the Rajarhat police station in Kurigram district
2. Mr. Nuruzzaman, Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) attached to the Rajarhat police station in Kurigram district
3. Mr. Mizan, Police Constable attached to the Rajarhat police station in Kurigram district
4. Mr. Anwar, Police Constable attached to the Rajarhat police station in Kurigram district
5. Mr. Mannan, Police Constable attached to the Rajarhat police station in Kurigram district
6. Mr. Nurul Islam, Police Constable attached to the Rajarhat police station in Kurigram district
7. Mr. Haidar, Police Constable attached to the Rajarhat police station in Kurigram district
8. Mr. Sukumar, Police Constable attached to the Rajarhat police station in Kurigram district
Date of incident: 22 June 2006
Place of incident: Mirerbari village under Rajarhat police station area in Kurigram district, Bangladesh
I am writing to bring to your attention the torture related death of a man allegedly by the Rajarhat police under the Kurigram district.
According to the information I have received, on 22 June 2006, at around 12:30 am, a police team led by Sub Inspector (SI) Mr. Abdul Hakim, and including Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Mr. Nuruzzaman, Constables Mr. Mizan, Mr. Anwar, Mr. Mannan, Mr. Nurul Islam, Mr. Haidar and Mr. Sukumar, went to the Bangal para area of Mirerbari village and arrested four persons, Mr. Tajul Islam, Mr. Ataur Rahman, Mr. Mosharraf and Mr. Fazlu Mian for playing cards. Upon hearing of the arrests Tajul's elder brother, Mr. Kasim Uddin, approached the police team. Mr. Kasim requested SI Mr. Abdul Hakim to release his brother. However, in response SI Abdul Hakim kicked Kasim in the genitals causing Kasim to fall to the ground. The other policemen then proceeded to beat Kasim with sticks and boots. As a result, Kasim died at the scene.
I am aware that the villagers became enraged by the killing of Mr. Kasim and surrounded the police team to ensure that the policemen could not escape. SI Mr. Abdul Hakim managed to flee to a nearby house, but again the villagers surrounded him.
I have learned that a team led by the Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Mr. Santosh Kumar Adhikari, along with the Upazilla Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Rajarhat, Mr. Md. Mokbul Hossain, the Public Prosecutor (PP) and the president of the district Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Mr. Idris Ali, went to the scene while another team led by the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr. Kazi Foyzul Hossain, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the Rajarhat police station, Mr. Golam Moktadir and the Chairman of the Senai union council, Mr. Sadequl Haque Nuru, also went but were unable to control the situation. The ADM assured the villagers that appropriate action would be taken against those responsible.
I am informed that SI Abdul Hakim has been suspended and arrested in connection with the case lodged by the deceased's family. However, to my knowledge the authorities have taken no further action against the alleged perpetrators.
In light of this, I request that you arrest and suspend the rest of the alleged perpetrators, and ensure a fair and thorough investigation into the alleged conduct of the police. If it is found that the alleged perpetrators committed crimes against the victims, then they must be held accountable for their actions and if found guilty of crimes, indicted under the prevailing domestic laws of Bangladesh.
I look forward to your urgent intervention in this matter.
Yours sincerely,
---------------
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mrs. Begum Khaleda Zia
Prime Minister
The Government of the Peoples' Republic of Bangladesh
Office of the Prime Minister
Old Parliament House,
Tejgaon, Dhaka
BANGLADESH
Tel: +880 2 8828160-79, 9888677
Fax: +880 2 8113244 or 3243 or 1015 or 1490
E-mail: pm@pmobd.org or psecretary@pmobd.org (to the Secretary)
2. Mr. Md. Lutfozzaman Babor MP
State Minister
The Ministry of Home Affairs
The Government of the Peoples¡¦ Republic of Bangladesh
The Bangladesh Secretariat
Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH
Tel: +880 2 7169069 (O) or 8359000 (R)
Fax: +880 2 7160405, +880 2 7164788
3. Mr. Sayed J. R. Modassir Hossain
The Chief Justice
The Supreme Court of Bangladesh
Supreme Court Building
Ramna, Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH
Tel: +880 2 9562792
Fax: +880 2 9565058
4. Mr. A J Mohammad Ali
Attorney General of Bangladesh
Office of the Attorney General
Supreme Court Building
Ramna, Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH
Tel: +880 2 9562868
Fax: +880 2 9561568
5. Mr. Abdul Quayum
Inspector General of Police (IGP)
Bangladesh Police
Police Headquarters
Fulbaria, Dhaka-1000
BANGLADESH
Tel: +880 2 9562054 or 7176451 or 7176677 (O), +880 2 8362552 or 8362553 (R)
Fax: +880 2 9563362 or 9563363
6. Mr. Dr. Baharul Alam BPM
Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG)
Rajshahi Range
Bangladesh Police
Office of the DIG of Rajshahi Range
Rajshahi
BANGLADESH
Tel: +88 0721 772309 (O)
Fax: +88 0721 775444 (O)
7. Prof. Manfred Nowak
Special Rapporteur on the Question of Torture
Attn: Mr. Safir 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. 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 (ATTN: SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR EXECUTIONS)
Email: lventre@ohchr.org
Thank you.
Urgent Appeal Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)
