How did death row convict Regan get IS cap?
Former IGP blames police negligence. Probe body formed to find out how Regan got the cap in jail
Rakibul Hasan Regan, one of the seven convicts facing the gallows in the Holey Artisan Bakery attack case, had on his head a prayer cap inscribed with the Islamic State emblem as an anti-terrorism court pronounced the verdict in the case.
A smiling Regan alighted from the prison van wearing the IS cap.
While people across the board have thanked the police for their role in the quick disposal of this crucial case, questions have arisen around Regan's appearance in court with the IS cap on.
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"It happened because of negligence on the part of the police," said AKM Shahidul Haque, a former inspector general of police. "Such failures can lead to bigger occurrences," added a worried Haque.
Intriguingly enough, the law enforcers have no explanation as to how the now convicted murderer came to court wearing the cap.
Describing the incident as 'unexpected', the police and the jail authorities said they would investigate the matter and take necessary action.
Judge Mujibur Rahman of the Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal sentenced Regan and six others to death for the gruesome terror attack perpetrated in 2016.
Regan entered the courtroom on crutches and was seated on a chair as the judge read out the verdict.
As he emerged from the courtroom after the verdict had been handed down, Regan was asked how he had got the IS cap. He said: "I have brought this from the jail."
When The Business Standard asked him how he had got the cap in prison and who had made it for him, police officers whisked him away before he could reply.
IGP forms probe body
Meanwhile, confronted with questions regarding Regan's IS cap in court, Md Jafar Hossain, Deputy Commissioner of DMP (Prosecution) declined to make any comment beyond stating, "It was unexpected. We will take action if anyone is found negligent in duty."
Inspector General of Police (Prison) Brig Gen Mostafa Kamal Pasha told The Business Standard that a probe committee had been formed to investigate the incident.
The IGP said since police receive an accused at the jail gate to bring them to court, they are responsible for everything that follows once the accused is taken into custody.
The probe committee will comprise an additional inspector general of police, a deputy inspector general, and an additional inspector general of Dhaka range, he added.
Monirul Islam, chief of the counter terrorism and transnational crime unit and Additional Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police said, "We will investigate whether or not this cap is an emblem of Islamic State and will take action if any negligence in duty is found to have taken place."
"The people of the country detest Islamic State and no one will accept their message," he said during a briefing at the media center of Dhaka Metropolitan Police after the verdict in the Holey Artisan case was delivered on Wednesday.
It is failure of police: Shahidul Haque
Rakibul Hasan Regan's wearing the cap of the Islamic State during the reading out of the verdict happened due to negligence on the part of the police, said former inspector general of police AKM Shahidul Haque.
The former senior police official told The Business Standard, "Regan has been in jail for the last three years. He was not supposed to keep the IS cap in his possession for this long a time."
"The police, the jail police, and the special of branch police were always present when Regan's family members visited him in prison," he noted.
"Today Regan was taken to court by the police. He might have got the cap through the negligence of the police," Shahidul Haque added.
He was apprehensive of such instances of police failure leading to bigger incidents in future.
Meanwhile, Law Minister Anisul Huq told the media that the government would probe the matter.
"I will get information about this matter and talk to the relevant authorities about launching an enquiry," he told the media at his ministry.
The Anti-Terrorism Tribunal on Wednesday sentenced seven people to death over the gruesome Holey Artisan attack in Dhaka's Gulshan three years ago.
Those condemned to die are Rakibul Hasan Regan, Jahangir Hossain, Abdus Sabur Khan, Hadisur Rahman, Shariful Islam Khaled, Mamumur Rashid Ripon, and Aslam Hossain.
Another accused Mizanur Rahman alias Boro Mizan has been acquitted.
