Writ filed seeking judicial inquiry into death in police custody in Chapainawabganj

A writ petition has been filed at the High Court seeking a judicial inquiry into the death of Afsar Ali, 35, while in police custody at Chapainawabganj Sadar Model Police Station.

The writ petition seeks directives to take departmental action against the police members involved in the death of Afsar Ali.

Advocate Yadia Zaman and Advocate Shahinuzzaman Shaheen filed the writ petition on behalf of the human rights organisation, Ain O Salish Kendra, on Sunday. The writ petition may be heard this week at Justice JBM Hasan's virtual High Court bench, the petitioners said.

The Home Secretary, Inspector General of Police, Superintendent of Police of Chapainawabganj and others have been made respondents in the writ petition.

Reports published in various dailies on the death of Afsar Ali in police custody at Chapainawabganj Sadar Model Police Station have been attached with the writ petition.

Earlier, several national dailies published news on the death of Afsar Ali, son of Mohsin Ali of Tikrampur Madhyapara. According to the reports, the police officers gave different statements on the death of the accused in remand.

After the death of Afsar Ali, the officer-in-charge claimed it was a natural death. The additional police superintendent said he committed suicide by slitting his own throat in the bathroom. However, the doctor said that Afsar died of chest pain shortly after he was taken to the hospital.

According to media reports, the victim's wife, Zulekha Begum, said that Afsar had been killed. When a news team from a newspaper went to the hospital morgue at night, they didn't see any sign of a suicide. There was no marks of a wire wrapped around his neck. The team also has video footage of it. The case has turned into a mystery as the police officers gave different statements on Afsar's death.

According to the report, "On July 5, RAB arrested Afsar Ali with 1.195 kg of heroin from Sundarpur Bagdanga Shuknapara area under Sadarupazila. After a case was filed at Sadar police station, he was put in remand for one day on July 6 and questioned by the police. The death of Afsar was reported around 12 o'clock that night."

The report further said, "Afsar's wife alleged that the police source, Wasim and Mohan, had tricked her husband with drugs. He was later caught by the RAB. On July 6, when she went to visit the police station with their children, a police officer was beating him while he was handcuffed. She claims that her husband was killed by the police. Local ward councillor Maidul Islam said, "Afsar Ali was hardworking and an innocent man. He used to earn a living by driving a rickshaw-van."