Sonagazi OC’s escape ominous sign for rule of law: TIB

Voicing concern over the fleeing of former Sonagazi police station officer-in-charge Moazzem, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Sunday said the incident put police authority's goodwill into questions, reports UNB.

This is a bad sign for establishing the rule of law in the country, the TIB added.

"The arrest warrant issued against Moazzem Hossain on 27 May took more than a week to reach Rangpur range. Now the Rangpur range is saying it wasn't done according to rules. Now it's being said he has escaped the time," said TIB executive director Iftekharuzzaman.

He said leaving out Moazzem from the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) charge-sheet was also a questionable act. "It's only natural to question whether or not Moazzem has been given scope to flee," he added.

Demanding judicial investigation into local police department's role in Nusrat murder, he said if the transparency and accountability of the police force are not ensured, the rule of law will collapse.

The former OC was accused of illegally interrogating madrasa student Nusrat and recording the episode on his phone. The video was later circulated on social media.

Moazzem had called in Sonagazi Islamia Senior Fazil Madrasa's principal Siraj Ud Doula and Nusrat to the police station after the latter accused her teacher of sexually harassing her.

The OC interrogated Nusrat in the absence of her lawyer or any other woman. She was crying but the OC paid no heed to it and kept questioning her using inappropriate words.

Nusrat's mother had filed a case with Sonagazi police station over her daughter's sexual harassment. On 6 April, the girl was set on fire at an exam centre in Sonagazi upazila, reportedly by people loyal to Siraj Ud Doula.

Nusrat died on 10 April at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Moazzem was withdrawn the same day and suspended a month later on charges of negligence of his duty.