Raihan's death in police custody: SI suspended for helping SI Akbar flee
A police sub-inspector has been suspended on allegation of helping suspended SI Akbar Hossain Bhuiyan flee , in-charge of Bandarbazar police outpost in Sylhet, where a 34-year-old youth died in police custody.
In a press release on Wednesday evening, Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP) said SI Hasan Uddin was the second-in-command (2ic) of the police outpost.
“SI Hasan Uddin has been suspended for helping suspended SI Akbar Hossain Bhuiyan flee from the outpost and suppress information,” the release said.
Five policemen have so far been suspended over the death of the youth in custody.
Earlier, Bandarbazar police outpost in-charge SI Akbar Hossain and three other policemen were suspended on 12 October in connection with the death of Raihan Ahmed, 34, in custody in Sylhet on 11 October.
SMP spokesperson additional deputy commissioner BM Ashraf Ullah told Prothom Alo that Hasan has been suspended as he was found involved while investigating the incident of Akbar’s fleeing. Departmental action would be taken against him, he added.
Police picked up Raihan Ahmed, 34, a resident of Akharia Neharipara in Sylhet on the night of 10 October and tortured him in custody at Bandarbazar police outpost under the jurisdiction of Kotwali police station in Sylhet. Raihan died in the early hours of 11 October.
His wife Tahmina Akter Tanni filed a case with Kotwali police station on the following day accusing a number of unidentified people under the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act.
Following an investigation by a committee of Sylhet Metropolitan Police on 12 October, the authorities suspended four policemen, including the in-charge of Bandarbazar police outpost SI Akbar Hossain and withdrew three policemen.
Akbar Hossain Bhuiyan went into hiding since that day.
The case was transferred to the Police Bureau of Investigation on 13 October.
Earlier on Tuesday, PBI members arrested constable Titu Chandra Das, who was suspended over the death of Raihan, from Sylhet police lines.
That was the first arrest made by police after the death of Raihan Ahmed.
Later, Sylhet additional chief metropolitan magistrate Zihadur Rahman placed Titu on a five-day remand when police produced him before the court in the afternoon.