Locals in Jurain 'assault' policemen, 3 injured

Locals chase policemen in the capital's Jurain on Tuesday morning.Collected

Locals have beaten up traffic policemen in the capital's Jurain after an altercation with a couple on motorbike.

Three policemen including a sergeant have been injured in the incident.

The incident took place on Tuesday morning at Jurain traffic signal area. The wounded police members are: sergeant Ali Hossain, traffic constable Sirajul Islam and Shyampur police station sub-inspector Utpal Chandra.

They have been undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and Central Police Hospital, Rajarbagh (CPH).

Eyewitnesses said the agitated locals hit the sergeant Ali’s hand with broken glass. He required 21 stitches on his hand.

Quoting the eyewitnesses, Mizanur Rahman, a resident of Jurain, said a man accompanied by his wife was riding a bike. As the biker’s wife had no helmet, traffic police stopped their motorbike.

At a stage of altercation, the traffic sergeant physically assaulted the woman and took the couple to the police box. When the locals noticed the incident, they started hurling brick chips to the police box, he added.

Mizanur claimed locals are aggrieved over the extortion by police, and their anger (locals) is the manifestation of the incident.

However, deputy commissioner of traffic police Wari division Md Saidul Islam claimed they didn’t find anyone assaulting the woman in the video footage.

He told Prothom Alo that traffic police have been equipped with 'body-worn camera’ to ensure transparency and accountability. They are checking the camera.

Md Saidul Islam said a person accompanied by a woman was riding a bike in the wrong side at around 9:00am. The woman had no helmet. At that time, the traffic constable asked them to stop the bike. Later, the traffic sergeant sought documents from them.

In a video footage that went viral on social media, it was heard that the biker introduced him as a 'lawyer and journalist'.

Sources said the biker, Md Rony, was the publisher of 'BartaBichitra.com' while his wife, Yeasin Jahan (Nishita) is the acting editor of that online portal.

Shyampur police station officer-in-charge Mafizul Islam said three people, including Rony, have been detained over the incident.