The High Court yesterday summoned two officials of Jessore Kotwali Model Police Station to appear before it on January 25 for explaining their position over the alleged torturing of a youth at the police station for bribe. In a suo moto move, the HC bench comprising Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice Mohammad Ullah asked Sub-Inspector Nazmul and Assistant Sub-Inspector Habibur Rahman of the police station to appear before it at 10.30am on January 25 physically for placing their statement over the incident The HC bench also asked victim Abu Sayeed of Talbaria village of Jessore to appear before the bench on the same day.
It also directed the superintendent of police of Jessore to probe the incident and to submit the probe report before it in 30 days. It also issued a rule asking the government and law enforcers to explain why appropriate legal action should not be taken against the persons who are responsible for torturing the youth. Home secretary, inspector general of police, superintendent of Jessore police and officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station have been asked to reply to the rule within four weeks.
The HC bench came up with the order and the rule following a report published in a national daily on January 6 under the heading- ‘Failing to collect extortion police tortures youth in custody’. The report said that plainclothes policemen had picked up one Abu Sayeed from his residence in Talbaria village of Jessore Sadar upazila on Wednesday.
Later on Friday, two policemen of Jessore Kotwali Model Police Station demanded Tk 2 lakh from Sayeed, but he refused to give them the money. The policemen then started beating him at the police station. A photograph published with the report showed the body of the youth twisted around a rod and hanging with his legs and hands tied together during the torture. The youth was freed after his mother and brother lobbied and also paid Tk 50,000 as bribe to police for his release, the report said.