Six police personnel, including an Assistant Superintendent of Police, an Officer-in-Charge and an Inspector (investigation), have been sued on charge of torturing and sexually harassing a woman in the custody of Barishal’s Uzirpur Police Station. The case was recorded Monday night following the victim’s statement given before a magistrate on Friday.
This awful incident came to light when the woman, who is a murder case accused, was produced before Judicial Magistrate court by police on Friday after completion of two-day remand. She told the court that Investigation Officer himself along with some other policemen sexually harassed her during remand. She was also brutally tortured and mercilessly beaten up with sticks.
Though OC of Uzirpur Police Station Ziaul Hasan and Inspector (Investigation) Mainul Islam were withdrawn and attached to Barishal District Police Lines on Monday afternoon, it’s nothing but a light departmental action on behalf of police administration.
We are very much shocked and disappointed seeing such cruelty and inhuman behaviour. Why they should not be chrged with the crime under Nari O Shishu Nirjatan Daman Ain. The offence they committed is no police discipline of some trained members of a disciplined force.
What’s true is that – torture, harassment and other unlawful activities under police custody have become institutional in the country. On May 4, an ASI was charged for allegedly raping a woman while she was under institutional quarantine for Covid-19 in Sadar Upazila of Khulna soon after she had returned from India. In another incident, a man on remand in Saltha Upazila of Faridpur died due to torture in police custody on May 1.
The Uzirpur incident is not an isolated one. There are many of them. Only a few are reported. Many victims used to remain mum after such violent assault fearing social stigma and possible future assault. A lot of victims keep silent being threatened by police. This incident could have remained out of notice, if the victim was not seen seriously ill when she was produced before the court. The woman was reportedly unable to walk into the courtroom, which drew court’s attention.
The court is to be blamed for not acting judicially by a sending a women into police remand under the guise of interrogation. The Supreme Court has given definite guidelines about remand. She should have been interrogated at the jail or in the presence of her lawyer.
We are extremely sorry to say that some judges of the lower judiciary are too eager to oblige the police. Refusing bail and granting police remand is not a police affair. As soon as the accused is produced in court he or she is in the custody of the court. The people say arresting a person under one plea or another is a flourishing business causing miseries and even death to the arrested person. This is tolerated as police duty.
The question can also be asked what kind of training and discipline the police learn so that they will resort to torturing beastly. Something is somewhere terribly wrong. The police will be examples good behaviour under law. But many of them retain liaison with political criminals and political gangs.
We want to see court cases against the concerned police officials. Reputation of good police must be preserved. The courts are not extension of police power. The women should be admired for her courage.
