SC upholds Madaripur cops withdraw order

The Supreme Court today upheld a High Court order that directed the inspector general of police (IGP) to withdraw the officer-in-charge of Madaripur Police Station on charge of detaining two breast-feeding mothers and keeping them away from their children for 13 hours.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha passed the order dismissing a petition filed by Madaripur OC Ziaul Morshed seeking stay on the High Court order.

Following a writ petition by Supreme Court lawyer Rana Kawser, the HC on March 29 directed the IGP to withdraw OC Ziaul and SI Mahtab Hossain on charge of detaining the mothers.

OC Ziaul later filed a petition with the SC seeking stay on the HC order.

Citing the newspapers, Rana told reporters that SI Mahtab went to Lakkhiganj of Madaripur on March 12 to conduct an inquiry into a land-related case.

Over a trifling matter during investigation, Mahtab locked into an altercation with Ponir Hossain, son of Khalek Bepari, and ransacked his house.

Police then forcibly took wives of Ponir and his elder brother to the police station leaving their kids -- one three months' old and another 18 months' old -- behind. After 13 hours of detention, police released them.