The High Court (HC) today observed that some police officials set up courts at night at the places they choose for conducting arbitration with incidents.

“How do they do so and from where do they get such audacity,” the court questioned, adding that the entire police-force suffers from bad reputation due to some police personnel who are posted in different police stations. 

The HC bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader came up with the observation during hearing a writ petition filed challenging legality of refusal by the officer-in-charge (OC) of Satkhira’s Shyamnagar Police Station to register a case for torturing one Md Fazlur Rahman and looting his valuables.

The court fixed April 7 for further hearing and passing order on the petition, Advocate Md Shamsul Huq Kanchan, a lawyer for writ petitioner Fazlur Rahman, told The Daily Star.

Citing the petition, he said one Yusuf Ali and his men attacked and tortured Fazlur Rahman at Sora village under Shyamnagar Police Station at night on February 17 this year.

They also looted Tk 2 lakh in cash, two gold chains and valuables worth Tk 50,000 from Fazlur and damaged the wall of his residence, the lawyer said.

Advocate Shamsul said Fazlur informed the incident to Shyamnagar Police Station OC Habil Hossain over cellphone and requested for help.

But, the OC refused to help Fazlur saying that he was busy with other works, advocate Shamsul said adding that Fazlur then informed the incident to Satkhira’s superintendent of police (SP).

The Satkhira SP on February 26 asked OC Habil to take appropriate legal step over the incident, but the OC, Habil, did not register any case.

Fazlur Rahman on March 3 submitted the writ petition to the HC challenging legality of OC Habil’s refusal to record the case.

During hearing the petition today, Assistant Attorney General Saiful Alam told the court that Shyamnagar police submitted a report to the SP of Satkhira in this regard and he will collect the report and place it to the court soon.