The High Court on Wednesday asked the chief metropolitan magistrate of Barishal to conduct a judicial probe into the death of Barishal Judges’ Court’s apprentice lawyer Rezaul Karim in police custody.
Rezaul died on January 1 in the custody of the Detective Branch of the Barishal Metropolitan Police following alleged torture.
The online bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman ordered the judicial probe after hearing an application filed by the victim’s father.
Rezaul’s father Yunus Munshi filed the application challenging the magistrate court’s February 5 order that had asked the Police Bureau of Investigation to investigate the allegation of torture.
Yunus’ lawyer Shishir Manir told the court that his client feared that he might not get justice if the allegation of torture in police custody was investigated by the police.
Shishir told the court that three police in plainclothes on the night of December 29, 2020, detained Rezaul and tortured him in front of his father before he was taken to the office of the Detective Branch.
Rezaul was taken to the court of the chief metropolitan magistrate on the following day when he told his brother that he was beaten brutally by sub-inspector Mohiuddin and two other policemen in the police custody at DB office on the previous night.
The magistrate court sent Rezaul to Barishal district jail. He was later shifted to Barishal Medical College Hospital as his health condition deteriorated.
The jail authorities asked Rezaul’s parents to visit their son at the hospital on December 31, 2020.
Rezaul died at the hospital from his injuries on January 1, 2021, the lawyer said.
Rezaul’s father Yunus earlier alleged that Detective Branch sub-inspector Mohiuddin, also their neighbour, picked up his son alleging that he was a drug addict and tortured him at the DB office.
On January 1, he said, they received a phone call from the hospital and the caller told them that his son was admitted to the prison cell as there was excessive bleeding through his urinary system.
