Man dies after alleged torture in Bogura police custody
Police, however, denied the allegations, saying after Habib's arrest, he fell ill and died while undergoing treatment at the hospital
A man accused of murder died in police custody in Bogura on Tuesday (4 October).
The deceased, Habibur Rahman Habib, who was an assistant to a lawyer, died at the district's Government Mohammad Ali Hospital around 9:45pm on Tuesday, police said.
However, Habib's colleagues and relatives alleged that the police tortured him and he was taken to the hospital after he died.
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"At first, I couldn't believe Habib died. I couldn't believe that the police would pick him up and torture him to death for no crime. He used to work for me," said Bogura Judge Court Lawyer Manjurul Haque.
Iqbal Hossain, general secretary of the Bogura District Bar Association, demanded proper justice "in the murder of Habibur Rahman."
"The person who was killed today is the assistant general secretary of our association. He was taken from the court premises without warrant, without any FIR, to the DB police office and tortured to death," Iqbal said.
Police, however, denied the allegations, saying after Habib's arrest, he fell ill and died while undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Bogura District Additional Superintendent of Police Snikdha Akhtar said Habib was not tortured and that an inquiry committee would be formed to investigate the incident.
Habibur Rahman was admitted in an unconscious state at 6:55pm on Tuesday, Atiqur Rahman, a doctor at the emergency department of Mohammad Ali Hospital, told The Business Standard.
"He was undergoing treatment but died later that night," he added.
According to the police, Habibur Rahman is an accused of the murder of Bipul, a teenager from the Jora Talpukur area of Bogura's Shahjahanpur who was abducted about ten years ago.
The key witness of Bipul's murder was his stepmother Khuku Begum, and she was murdered on 2 August, only a few days before her scheduled testimony on the murder case.
The 85-year-old's body was found with two missing legs. One leg was found in a nearby pond, while the other was recovered from the safety tank of a house in the same area on Tuesday.
Habib's name came up when a woman living in that house was brought in as a suspect. He was arrested based on the information she provided.
