‘Tortured till kidney damage, bribed for release’

On June 3, a farmer from Gopalganj named Nikhil died at Dhaka's National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation -- finally succumbing to the critical injuries he sustained the day before, after allegedly being tortured by a cop who has since been arrested on charges of assault.

As the western world reels from weeks of unrest caused by the actions of violent cops who often use excessive force with impunity, it's seemingly a common phenomenon in Bangladesh as well -- on the same day as reports of Nikhil's torture came in, a college student in Jashore was brutalised and left with severe kidney damage after he was mercilessly tortured, allegedly by a team of plainclothes policemen. 

Imran, a second year student of Kazi Nazrul Islam Degree College under Jashore Sadar upazila, unlike Nikhil, is still surviving at a private hospital in the town. He had to receive two rounds of kidney dialysis just to get the organ functioning again, Dr Obidul Kader Uzzal, a nephrologist of Jashore General Hospital, told journalists.     

"His condition could be determined clearly after two more dialysis, and we hope he will recover," the doctor added.

Imran Hossain is the 23-year-old son of Nesar Ali, of Shahbajpur village under Sadar upazila. Narrating the merciless torture inflicted on him by the plainclothes cops to this correspondent from a bed of the private hospital today, Imran tried to make sense of what happened to him last week.

"Some plainclothes cops halted the battery-run auto-rickshaw I was in, on Jashore- Chaugachha road at Ambot-tola area, on the evening of June 03."

"When they started checking the other passenger, who was an acquaintance of mine, I felt apprehensive of the situation and tried to leave the vehicle and the area. They started chasing me -- after running for about two kilometres, the cops caught up with me and started torturing me without stopping. It seems they took me to a nearby pharmacy when I became unconscious at one stage of the torture," he recounts.

"After receiving primary treatment, I regained consciousness and saw that the cops were brandishing a small packet of marijuana, which they claimed they had gotten from my pocket," he said.

"The drugs were implanted in my pocket when I lost consciousness," Imran claimed.

After bribing the cops Tk 6,000 against their demands of Tk 30,000, his parents finally secured his release.

The cops allegedly threatened him, and told him not to disclose the torture incident to his parents, Imran said.

"Members of Sajiali Police Outpost called me on Wednesday and informed me about my son's health condition -- when I went to get him, they asked for bribe to release him," said Nesar Ali, Imran's father.

"Imran started suffering from severe abdominal pain with vomiting the next day, and we rushed him to Jashore General Hospital in critical condition," he added. 

Later, he was moved to a private hospital in Jashore town as it has better facilities and Imran was in urgent need of dialysis, his father said.

According to Dr Uzzal, Imran's creatinine level has risen to 8.4 -- the normal range is between 0.8 and 1.3.

ASI Samaresh Saha, ASI Sazedar Rahman and four constables were on duty when the incident took place, said Munshi Anisur Rahman, in-charge of Sajiali Police Outpost.

"We quizzed them -- they denied torturing Imran or taking bribes for his release. They told us that the college student fell sick after vomiting," the outpost in-charge said.

A three member probe body, led by Golam Rabbani Sheikh, additional superintendent of police, was formed today to investigate the matter, Mohammad Tauhidul Islam, additional superintendent of police (Special Branch) told journalists. 

The committee has been asked to submit the report within five working days, he added.