A 49-year-old Muslim man, identified as Muntaj Sheikh, from Durgapur Village, allegedly died from the torture of police. A resident of Lochanpur Gramme Panchayat in Islampur, Sheikh, was arrested during a police raid on June 5 and later died after being sent to Lalbagh sub-jail.
Reportedly, police carried out a raid in Islampur’s Durgapur area at night in search of heroin bars on June 5, during which some people, including Muntaj Sheikh, were arrested.
According to the police, Muntaj fell ill on June 8 and was taken to the hospital, where he died. However, when the body was brought home after the autopsy, the family accused the police of beating Muntaj.
The individuals who were arrested, including Muntaj, were taken to the Bekibagan police camp. After being presented in court on June 8, Muntaj was subsequently sent to Lalbagh sub-jail.
Jaherun Bewa, the deceased’s mother, said to Maktoob, “After catching my son, the police brought sticks from their car and beat him severely in front of our eyes. Then they took him to the camp and beat him again. My son died after being tortured by the police. They killed my son.”
However, Lalbagh Sub Jail Superintendent Samaresh Dey claimed that Muntaj was addicted to drugs, and this might have caused him to fall ill. He was taken to Lalbagh sub-divisional hospital and subsequently died there.
Claims of Muntaj’s Family
However, the victim’s family told Maktoob that “the police beat him inhumanely. Muntaj died due to unnatural torture.”
Mahera Bibi, a relative of the deceased, told Maktoob, “The police picked up my brother-in-law on Wednesday night. We were not told why he was being arrested. That day, he was severely beaten at the Bekibagan camp in Islampur. From there, he was taken to Islampur Police Station at night. He was killed by the police. We want justice.”
Reaction of APDR
Meanwhile, Abdul Goni Mondal, the secretary of the Domkal branch of the human rights organization APDR (Association for Protection of Democratic Rights), raised concern over the incident and said, “The police are the protectors of the law, but they violate the law repeatedly. The police are constantly torturing the common people. We, the human rights activists, are protesting. Expressing his concern, he said, “We will talk to the family of the deceased and provide them with full legal assistance,”
