BCL man’s death in custody: Departmental action recommended against Faridpur DB OC, 10 others

An internal investigation by Faridpur district police has recommended departmental proceedings against the then officer-in-charge (OC) of the Detective Branch (DB) and 10 other police personnel over the custodial death of banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activist Mirza Ishtiaq Ahmed Pranto.

The report of the probe has already been sent to Police Headquarters for further action, Faridpur Superintendent of Police Shahriar Muhammad Miajee said today (4 August).

"The internal investigation recommended initiating departmental proceedings against the 11 DB members, including the OC, and taking disciplinary action against them," he told reporters.

Pranto, 27, a resident of West Gondhardia in Madhukhali upazila, was picked up by DB police from in front of his house by the Dhaka-Khulna highway on 20 June.

According to police, he fell ill while in DB custody and died at Faridpur Medical College Hospital the following day.

A student of Faridpur Law College, Pranto also worked as a seasonal labourer at Faridpur Sugar Mills.

On 21 June, Sub-Inspector Ahaduzzaman, who took part in the operation, filed a narcotics case at Madhukhali Police Station, claiming that 100 grams of cannabis were recovered from Pranto.

According to the case statement, the raid took place around 2:00am on 21 June. During the raid, Pranto admitted possessing the drugs before handing them over from a pocket of his trousers in the presence of two witnesses.

However, a video of the incident that later surfaced appeared to show the operation taking place during daylight, with Pranto wearing a lungi instead of trousers.

The two witnesses named in the case also told investigators that they were not present at the scene during the recovery and signed documents later after being misled and intimidated.

Pranto's mother Khadija Akter alleged that DB personnel demanded Tk 65,000 for her son's release on the night of his detention and later asked her to bring Tk 100,000 the following morning.

She said she arrived with the money but received her son's body instead.

As the news drew huge flak, the district police formed a three-member internal investigation committee headed by Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration and Finance) Fatema Islam.

The committee also included Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Operations) Md Shamsul Azam and district Special Branch OC Mosharraf Hossain.

SP Miajee said the probe found that all officers involved in the operation had some level of responsibility and recommended a departmental investigation to determine each individual's role before further action is taken.

He, however, declined to comment on specific inconsistencies surrounding the case, including the drug recovery, discrepancies over the timing of the operation, the presence of the witnesses and allegations that money was demanded from the victim's family.

Following the incident, the then DB OC and the 10 other police personnel involved in the operation were attached to the Faridpur Police Lines.