Torturing students in Rajshahi

Two UP members held

Police in Durgapur on Thursday arrested two union parishad (UP) members for torturing two boys in Rajshahi’s Durgapur upazila.
The duo have been identified as Abdul Motaleb and Abdul Latif Mirza, both members of the Jhaluka union parishad in Durgapur upazila. They have been accused of torturing two boys after tying them to a tree in Andua village on Wednesday morning.
This has been confirmed by Ruhul Alam, officer-in-charge of Durgapur police station.
Law enforcers rescued the two boys—Rezvi Ahmed Jarjis of Hariapara village and Ratan Ali of Polashbari village—from their homes and admitted them to a local health centre. Both the boys are students of Class X at Amgachhi Sahar Banu High School.
Earlier, Jarjis’s father, Ziaur Rahman, filed a case with Durgapur police station, accusing nine persons, including UP chairman Mozahar Ali Molla, of torturing his son.
 He alleged that the families of the two children were forced to cough up a fine of Tk. 16,000 during an arbitration held in the village on Wednesday, where the boys were accused of stealing a goat.
The UP chairman has gone into hiding following the incident, said police sources.
Jarjis said they had been tortured in the presence of the UP chairman and two UP members.
He admitted he had taken Ratan to steal a goat to pay Tk. 2,500 to some people who had snatched his mobile phone and were demanding money for returning it.
He said he had not told anyone about the incident lest he should be rebuked by parents.
Shipra Nath, a doctor at the hospital, said the boys are now out of danger, but still need time to recover from the trauma.
Rina Gegum, mother of Jerjis, said, “They got back the stolen goat and collected the fine money. Even after that they beat up the boys mercilessly.
The boys could have died."
Photos and videos of the torture incident went viral among mobile phone users.
UP member Abdul Motaleb, before his arrest, denied the allegations of torture, saying the boys had been tied to a tree as they were refusing to confess to the theft.
UP chairman Mozahar Ali Mollah said a goat of Rezaul Karim, a villager, had been stolen early on Wednesday.
Later, local residents of Horian Bazar held the two boys with a goat and handed them over to the villagers. “People beat them up in anger,” he added.
Mollah claimed that the boys' families were fined Tk. 20,000, but he cut the sum to Tk. 16,000. Of the money, Tk. 2,500 was given to the owner of the goat and the rest was donated to two local mosques, he added.

Torturing students in Rajshahi

Two UP members held

Police in Durgapur on Thursday arrested two union parishad (UP) members for torturing two boys in Rajshahis Durgapur upazila. The duo have been identified as Abdul Motaleb and Abdul Latif Mirza, both members of the Jhaluka union parishad in Durgapur upazila. They have been accused of torturing two boys after tying them to a tree in Andua village on Wednesday morning. This has been confirmed by Ruhul Alam, officer-in-charge of Durgapur police station. Law enforcers rescued the two boysRezvi Ahmed Jarjis of Hariapara village and Ratan Ali of Polashbari villagefrom their homes and admitted them to a local health centre. Both the boys are students of Class X at Amgachhi Sahar Banu High School. Earlier, Jarjiss father, Ziaur Rahman, filed a case with Durgapur police station, accusing nine persons, including UP chairman Mozahar Ali Molla, of torturing his son. He alleged that the families of the two children were forced to cough up a fine of Tk. 16,000 during an arbitration held in the village on Wednesday, where the boys were accused of stealing a goat. The UP chairman has gone into hiding following the incident, said police sources. Jarjis said they had been tortured in the presence of the UP chairman and two UP members. He admitted he had taken Ratan to steal a goat to pay Tk. 2,500 to some people who had snatched his mobile phone and were demanding money for returning it. He said he had not told anyone about the incident lest he should be rebuked by parents. Shipra Nath, a doctor at the hospital, said the boys are now out of danger, but still need time to recover from the trauma. Rina Gegum, mother of Jerjis, said, They got back the stolen goat and collected the fine money. Even after that they beat up the boys mercilessly. The boys could have died. Photos and videos of the torture incident went viral among mobile phone users. UP member Abdul Motaleb, before his arrest, denied the allegations of torture, saying the boys had been tied to a tree as they were refusing to confess to the theft. UP chairman Mozahar Ali Mollah said a goat of Rezaul Karim, a villager, had been stolen early on Wednesday. Later, local residents of Horian Bazar held the two boys with a goat and handed them over to the villagers. People beat them up in anger, he added. Mollah claimed that the boys families were fined Tk. 20,000, but he cut the sum to Tk. 16,000. Of the money, Tk. 2,500 was given to the owner of the goat and the rest was donated to two local mosques, he added.