OC allegedly shot muezzin in the leg; 46 sued in Cumilla after 10 years

Belal Hossain, a mosque muezzin, has filed a case against former officer-in-charge (OC) of Nangalkot Police Station, Nazrul Islam, accusing him of shooting him in the leg after forcibly taking him from his home 10 years ago. 

The case, filed at the Cumilla District and Sessions Court today (12 March), names 31 individuals, including police officers, local officials, and political figures, while also listing 15 unidentified persons. 

Belal's lawyer Badiul Alam Sujan said the case has been filed under the Prevention of Torture and Custodial Death Act-2013. 

"We hope the honourable judge will take the matter into consideration and issue necessary directives," he added.

Belal, son of Ali Haider from Bam village in Daulkhand union, served as a muezzin at a local mosque and was involved in the politics of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.

Recalling the incident, Belal stated that on 8 February 2015, police detained him from his home at midnight. He was taken, along with another individual named Belayet Hossain, to Ludhua in Nangalkot, where OC Nazrul Islam allegedly ordered two policemen to shoot them in the legs. 

When they refused, the OC himself shot both in the left knee, he said. 

Subsequently, a case was filed against them under the Explosives Act, leading to their arrest and Belal serving a year in prison. 

Belal further alleged that despite his severe injuries, he was denied advanced medical treatment. Although Comilla Medical College Hospital referred him to Dhaka, OC Nazrul Islam allegedly blocked the transfer. As a result, due to lack of treatment, his leg had to be amputated.

Seeking justice for what he describes as wrongful torture and a fabricated case, Belal filed the case against OC Nazrul, seven police officers, the former chairman of Nangalkot Upazila, the former mayor of the municipality, and 15 unidentified individuals.