Death in police custody is nothing new in Bangladesh. Arrested people are shown killed by the police in self defence when they try to flee while they are taken from one place to another. People in Bangladesh are now too vexed to hear the deaths in the so-called made-up incidents of ‘crossfire’. These extrajudicial killings have dehumanised our society. Arrested persons here are brutally tortured when they are taken on remand. When they die, police describe the cause of death being a ‘heart attack’, with impunity.
However, soon after United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, wrapped up her visit to Bangladesh to see by herself the human rights situation in the country and demanding investigation to extrajudicial deaths and forced disappearances, the incident of Sumon Sheikh’s death in police custody is a glaring example of the fact that mere wishes will have little impact on society until democracy is assured. Just recently, it was revealed the government sought all-out-help from India to be in power, and it speaks volume about the help Bangladesh needs for protecting the human rights. We want to be sure that India will be on the side of our people.
Sumon was earlier arrested in a theft case from his West Rampura house on Friday afternoon. The case was filed by the Masud and Brothers, a distributor of Unilever Bangladesh Limited’s Pureit water purifier brand. But the victim’s family alleged that Sumon was tortured and killed by the police after being bribed by the distributor of the water purifier brand.
According to newspaper reports, Sumon’s sister-in-law Shahnaj said her mother went to Hatirjheel Police Station with breakfast for Sumon. But the police did not inform them about Sumon’s death and said that they could meet him at the court in the afternoon. They went to the court and the police sent a picture of the dead body of Sumon to them at around 3:00pm. But the victim’s family alleged that Sumon was killed about 12 hours before at 3:30am.
As proof of ‘suicide’ of Sumon, police wanted to show CCTV footage to his family members but stopped doing so when the family members were recording the footage.
Curiously, police grabbed the phone and deleted the recording, according to a report. We believe this footage must be examined impartially whether it is fake or real.
Though the police authorities have suspended one police sub-inspector and a constable who were in charge of guarding arrested people after the incident and a three-member departmental probe committee was formed, we are doubtful whether this committee would expose the truth and another unaccountable death will be added to the list of deaths in police custody.
There is no end to complaints against the police which is quite often described as the most corrupt public entity in Bangladesh. Heavily politicised these days, police arrest and torture people and then release them after taking money from their families. In the past, to our horror, police raped women and acted as personal hit men; and to hide these crimes, they concocted stories and staged dramas.
The mistake the United Nations is failing to see is that human rights are linked with the people’s right to vote the government of their own. Ignoring free and fair election otherwise means depending upon dehumanising society. The people have no belief that there will an impartial investigation so we do not demand that for the young boy who died in police custody. We also know that punishing one or two police is no remedy. As long as the police know the government’s survival depends on police power, the human rights have no value. Human rights can exist only under democracy. The Human Rights Commission of the UN will not be taken seriously in a place where the government is undemocratic and election is an anti-people robbery. Bangladesh’s fight for democracy and human rights must be so recognised by the free world.
