Police yet to prosecute Kurigram DC, RDC, ADCs
Ignoring the High Court Division’s directive issued a week back, the police did not record attempt-to-murder case against former Kurigram deputy commissioner Sultana Parveen and three of her former colleagues for torturing, beating and jailing Kurigram journalist Ariful Islam after implicating him in a false case
Three other accused named in the attempt-to-murder case are former revenue collector Nazim Uddin, former assistant commissioners Rintu Kumar Chakma and SM Rahatul Islam.
On the dead of night of March 13, Arif, Bangla Tribune’s Kurigram Correspondent, was sentenced to one year’s jail on the fabricated charge of carrying 100 grams of marijuana and 450 grams of ethyl alcohol, but the allegations were later found to be baseless.
The DC, the RDC and the ADCs were withdrawn and made Officers-On-Special Duty on March 16 after the incident of torturing and jailing Ariful Islam by a mobile court led by RDC Nazim Udidn as it triggered widespread condemnation.
On March 23, a vacation bench of Justice Md Ashraful Kamal and Justice Sardar Md Rashed Jahangir directed the officer-in-charge of Kurigram police station to immediately record the case against the four officers as on March 16, the OC shelved Arif’s complaint in the file ‘on instructions from the higher authorities.’
On Sunday afternoon, Kurigram Sadar police station officer-in-charge Mahfuzer Rahman told New Age that he could not record the case as he was yet to get a certified copy of the High Court Division’s order.
‘I also spoke to journalist Ariful Islam who sought one day to provide the copy of the High Court’s order,’ the OC said.
Bench officer Abdus Salam told New Age Sunday that he had sent the order to the Writ Section on March 25 for serving it to the OC.
The mobile court in the name of a 40-member illegal task force led by led by deputy collector Nazimuddin had trespassed into Ariful Islam’s home by breaking open the door on instructions from deputy commissioner Sultana who had previous enmity with Arif, blind-folded and beat up Arif after taking him to the office of DC Sultana and jailed him for one year on the fictitious charge of possessing narcotic substances.
On March 14, the district magistrate’s court, however, granted bail to Arif though no bail petition was filed by his family.
Arif was later released from the jail.
Sultana Parveen had previous enmity with Arif over re-excavation and renaming a pond in her own name after Arif reported it and reported about corruption indulged by the Kurigram district administration.
The vacation bench issued the directive after hearing a writ petition filed by Bangla Tribune’s executive editor Harun Ur Rashid challenging the legality of detaining and jailing Arif. (Source: New Age)
