One of the probe bodies formed by police to look into the death of a Mirpur tea vendor has found four suspended policemen guilty, reports UNB. The committee also observed that there was lack of proper supervision by the then officer-in-charge of Shah Ali Police Station Shahin Mollah in connection with the incident. On February 4, Babul Matubbar, 45, a tea vendor of Gudaraghat in the city’s Mirpur area caught fire from his kerosene stove as it was hit by the policemen of Shah Ali Police Station. The following day, the tea vendor succumbed to his burn injuries at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) after struggling for life for hours with almost 95 percent burn injuries in his body.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) formed a single member committee while Deputy Commissioner (Mirpur Division) constituted another two-man panel to probe the incident. Deputy Commissioner (Media) of DMP Md Maruf Hossain yesterday said that the probe body formed by the DC, headed by additional deputy commissioner (Mirpur Division) Masud Ahmed, has already submitted its report to the DC. Sources at the DMP said the committee found negligence of duty of sub-inspectors Mominur Rahman and Niazuddin Mollah, assistant sub-inspector Devnath and constable Jasimnuddin. Besides, the committee found lack of proper supervision on the part of the then OC Shah Ali Police Station Shahin Mollah.
OC Shahin Mollah was withdrawn from the police station on Friday last. On the same day, the accused policemen were also suspended. Meanwhile, the probe panel, formed by the DMP, found four suspended policemen guilty and Shahin Mollah’s negligence of duty in connection with the incident. It may be mentioned that talking to the newsmen after the incident OC Shah Ali claimed that Babul was involved in drug peddling. He also said that an informer of police demanded toll from Babul. ‘No police personnel was there when Babul received the burn injury. Police went there after being informed of the news’ he said apparently to cover up the police involvement.