Savar police raid draws torture allegations from Bede Palli residents

Police have been accused of harassing and torturing numerous ordinary residents of Bede Palli in Baktarpur area of Dhaka’s Savar during a late-night operation conducted following an alleged attack on two police officers. At around 7:40pm on Tuesday, Sub-Inspector SM Shamim and Assistant Sub-Inspector Mashiur Rahman of Savar Model Police Station were allegedly attacked by a suspect wanted in a drug case and his associates while police were attempting to arrest him. Following the attack, police arrested several suspects and carried out raids at different locations in Bede Palli between 12:00am to 1:30am on Wednesday. Allegations have been raised that several residents, including women, were harassed and tortured during the operation, which was led by Savar Model Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Nur Mohammad and Inspector (Operations) Helal Uddin.

Rafiqul Islam, 45, a grocery shopkeeper from Kanchanpur Mohalla in Bede Palli, described the police operation to The Daily Star. “Around midnight, as we were closing the shop, people started running in panic. My college-going son and I were about to shut the shop when a group of policemen entered aggressively. They used abusive language, and one officer grabbed me by the collar. “When my wife, standing inside the gate, told them I was a grocery shopkeeper, the policemen threatened to beat her and verbally abused her.

Later, after speaking to my son and wife, they released me. “Police treated both me and my wife inhumanely. They should not behave like this,” Rafiqul said. The Daily Star obtained a video showing the alleged harassment of Rafiqul. In the footage, he is seen being dragged from his shop by the collar in the presence of Inspector (Operations) Helal.

Ratan Mia, 50, a snake charmer, was sleeping with his family in a small tin-shed house near Rafiqul’s shop. He alleged that police broke down the doors of three rooms that night and beat him, his wife, his two sons, and his daughter-in-law.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Ratan said, “We kept crying and telling police that we had committed no crime. When the police refused to listen, I asked who would look after the two small children left at home. They then released me, my wife, my eldest son and my daughter-in-law, but took my younger son Arif to the police station.” “My son has been arrested unjustly. We were tortured inhumanely.

We know nothing about the attack on police, yet we were tortured and my son was falsely implicated in a case. We are innocent. Where will we get justice?” Ratan added. Akash Mia, an auto-rickshaw driver and Ratan’s eldest son, told The Daily Star, “During the police raid, everyone in our house was severely beaten.

They also took away my mobile phone. My brother has been arrested unjustly.” The Daily Star also obtained a video in which Akash's mother, Nasima Begum, is seen being physically abused by a female police officer. Referring to the footage, Ratan said, "When my younger son was being taken away, my wife was crying and pleading with the police. Just before leaving, a female police officer behaved in this manner." Sagar Mia, another snake charmer, was also reportedly detained during the operation.

According to his family, Sagar had suffered fractures to both collarbones in a road accident several months ago. Despite being seriously ill, he was tortured during the police operation and later shown arrested in the case, the family alleged.

Although The Daily Star could not independently verify Sagar's medical condition immediately, but obtained video footage shows police officers striking him repeatedly with batons. Contacted, Inspector (Operations) Helal said no one was harassed or tortured. "Those who committed crimes have been arrested," he told The Daily Star over phone. When told that several videos appeared to show instances of torture, Helal asked this correspondent to meet him in person with the footage.

Asked whether she was aware of complaints that ordinary residents had been harassed and tortured during the operation in Baktarpur, Dhaka district Superintendent of Police Shamima Parveen said, “No one has filed such a complaint with me. Since there is video footage, send it to me and I will review it and take appropriate action. Allegations of harassment and torture will be investigated.” Asked about the allegations by the families of Arif and Sagar that the two men had been tortured and arrested despite being innocent, Shamima said, "Criminals never admit their crimes. They often make various allegations.

Nevertheless, if anyone is found to be innocent during the investigation, they will be removed from the case."