Special Branch SI beaten to death over car parking dispute in Savar; son injured

A sub-inspector (SI) of the Special Branch (SB) of police was beaten to death in Savar's Aminbazar area last night (5 September) after he intervened when a group of people were allegedly beating a local rickshaw garage owner.

The deceased was identified as Altaf Hossain, 58, who worked in the Malibagh zone of the SB in Dhaka. His younger son, Ariful Islam, 26, was also seriously injured in the attack.

Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime, Ops and Traffic) of Dhaka District Police Md Jahangir Alam told The Business Standard that a case was being filed in connection with the incident and one person had been taken into custody for questioning.

Family members said Altaf's family owns a small factory in the Madina Housing area of Borodeshi in Aminbazar that manufactures pyjamas and T-shirts.

Around 8pm yesterday, Altaf saw people beating Kalam, the elderly owner of a rickshaw garage adjacent to the factory, over a dispute involving an auto-rickshaw and a car.

Witnessing the incident, Altaf stepped forward and tried to stop the attackers. When they became aggressive towards him, he identified himself as a police officer. At one stage, when he tried to move the attackers away, they beat him.

Altaf then returned to the factory and told his younger son Ariful about the incident. At that point, the car arrived in front of the factory.

Four to five people got out of the car, while around 20 to 25 others joined them there. They then attacked both Altaf and Ariful, family members said.

Around 9:30pm, Altaf and Ariful were rescued in critical condition and taken to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital in Dhaka, where doctors declared Altaf dead.

Dhaka District Superintendent of Police Shamima Parveen told The Business Standard that Altaf was returning home with his son when he saw a group of youths beating a garage owner.

"As the police officer's house was in that area, he was returning home at night along with his son. At that time, a group of youths was beating a garage owner in front of a roadside rickshaw garage in that area over parking a rickshaw. Naturally, as a police officer, upon witnessing the incident, he stepped forward and protested it, whereupon those individuals beat up the police officer as well as his son," she said.

Police are working to arrest those involved in the attack, she added.

Altaf, son of the late Jurain Ali Sheikh of Sirajganj, lived with his family in the Borodeshi Madina City area of Aminbazar.