Teen gang leader’s torture cell in Chattogram

It is on the ground floor of an under-construction government building. It is enclosed with tin fences on all sides and there are posters pasted on it with the name of a local ‘leader’. This is known as a ‘torture cell’ to the local residents.

The torture cell is located in west Feroz Shah area under Akbar Shah thana in Chattogram city. It has been set up by teen gang leader Golam Rasul alias Nishan. He is a former Chhatra League leader.

This torture cell is located two kilometres away from the police station. While people are taken away and tortured in the torture cell, the police station and the police members remain unaware. The police members claim that nobody ever complained.

Local residents make these comments while this correspondent was visiting the place in person after the incident of a dentist being killed in an attack right beside the torture cell at the beginning of the current month. If anyone in the area disobeyed Golam Rasul, they used to be taken there and tortured.  

Golam Rasul is the former vice president of Chittagong University Chhatra League unit. He was an aspiring candidate for the post of general secretary in City Jubo League unit but does not have a post in the current committee.

He identifies himself as a follower of City Awami League general secretary AJM Nasir Uddin. There are seven cases filed against Golam Rasul with different police station of the city on allegations of murder, extortion and fighting. Lastly, he has been named in the dentist murder case.  

Golam Rasul’s teen gang members beat dentist Kurban Ali in west Firoz Shah residential area under Akbar Shah police station in the city on 5 April. He came to protect his madrasa-going son Ali Reza and fell victim to the attack.

Kurban Ali died on 10 April while undergoing treatment. In this incident, a case was filed with Akbar Shah police station mentioning 12 names. Three of them have been arrested.

There’s an under-construction 10-story flat project running under National Housing Authority along the road in Firoz Shah area that comes before AK Khan area after crossing the Dhaka-Chattogram rail line on Zakir Hossain road moving from GEC intersection in the city.

The construction of the building started towards the beginning of 2018. Local people recognise the ground floor of the building as the ‘torture cell of Nishan group (Golam Rasul)’. ‘Nishan group’ is the name of Golam Rasul’s teen gang. The gang rose towards the beginning of 2015, said local residents.

Visiting the location on last Tuesday afternoon, the place was found littered with empty cigarette packs of different brands. Various signs of drug abuse were found there as well. Meanwhile, posters of Golam Rasul were hanging on the wall alongside photographs of party leaders.

A man named Monzur Alam is posted in the building as the security guard by the contractor company. He said, “Earlier, there were many chairs there. Police took everything away after the incident (death of the dentist).”

Police and local sources reported that the members of Nishan group supply various construction items including bricks and sands at a higher price than the market price to different under-construction buildings in the area. Plus, they extort money from different shops and vehicles of the area.

Prothom Alo on last Tuesday spoke to the families of five victims, tortured in the torture cell. They were tortured for denying the extortion money and for protesting Golam Rasul’s activities.

When asked acting officer of Akbar Shah police Station, Golam Rabbani told Prothom Alo, none of the victims ever reported of being taken away there (torture cell) or beaing beaten and tortured.

To know about the allegations, there was an investigation in Golam Rasul’s area. Local residents said that he has not been in the area since the dentist being murdered. His cell phone was also found switched off.

General secretary of west Firoz Shah residential area society committee, Fazlul Karim told Prothom Alo that there are 20 to 30 local men with teen gang leader Golam Rasul. If anyone protested their activities they used to be beaten by taking them to the torture cell.

According to police information, there are six more teen gangs in Akbar Shah police station area excluding Golam Rasul’s Nishan group.