MU Ahmed, a pro-BNP lawyer at the Supreme Court, died in a city hospital yesterday, sixteen days after he suffered a heart attack in police custody.
His wife Selina Ahmed alleged that her husband died because of police torture.
Meanwhile, a controversy arose whether Ahmed, former assistant attorney general, was in police custody when he died.
Selina said that her husband died in police custody but police say that they released Ahmed against a bond on August 16 at the request of Selina.
She lodged a complaint in this regard with Ramna Police Station accusing the home minister, the home secretary, the attorney general and three police officials.
Police arrested Ahmed at his Segunbagicha residence on August 11 on charges of assaulting police and obstructing them from discharging duties on the SC premises on August 2 and 4.
A source in the court concerned said police never informed the court about his arrest and hospitalisation until August 17. They are legally bound to inform the court about arrests within a day.
However, Monirul Islam, deputy commissioner of Detective Branch of police, claimed that they informed the court about the arrest of MU Ahmed and that he is in hospital on August 11.
Sources at Square Hospitals Ltd said police always stood guard over him at the hospital. But police claimed that he was not in custody and the policemen deployed there were on regular duty.
TORTURE ALLEGED
Selina yesterday said an unconscious Ahmed was admitted to the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) after suffering a heart attack five hours after his arrest.
Ahmed regained consciousness two days later. He was in a state of panic and scared of policemen.
"Police dragged him into their vehicle after arresting him. They slapped and assaulted him inside the vehicle," Selina said referring to the account her husband gave lying on a hospital bed.
Ahmed was taken to a dark room where he was beaten up by police officials, said Selina.
They also made abusive comments to him. At one stage, Ahmed felt suffocated and requested them to take him to a place where he could breathe freely, she alleged.
In reply, police threatened Ahmed to tie him up with a rope. Later, they gave an electric shock in his left hand, leaving him unconscious, Selina claimed.
She said he was shifted to Square Hospitals Ltd on August 16 for better treatment.
"This is certainly a murder. There is no doubt that the heart attack resulted from the torture," said Selina.
She requested political parties not to "do politics with her husband's body".
Selina, a mother of two, demanded punishment of her husband's "killers" and compensation from the government.
POLICE SAY
Monirul Islam, deputy commissioner of Detective Branch of police, last night denied allegations of torturing Ahmed or giving him electric shocks. He said Ahmed was at the DB office no more than 40 minutes.
He said following the arrest, Ahmed was taken to the DB office where he told them about pain in his chest. He claimed that Ahmed was immediately taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors said Ahmed suffered a heart attack and recommended he be moved to NICVD at once.
Monirul said, "At our request, a nine-member medical board led by the NICVD director treated him there."
Asked why they did not produce him before a court, he claimed that they informed the court on August 11 about his arrest and that he was hospitalised.
Ahmed's wife got her husband released from the NICVD on August 16 after signing a bond and got him admitted to Square Hospitals the same day, he said.
PROTEST
Pro-BNP lawyers from HC and lower courts demonstrated in front of Square Hospitals to protest the death in the afternoon.
A group of pro-BNP lawyers also made indecent comments and chanted slogans against Attorney General Mahbubey Alam when he went to the hospital to express his sympathy towards Ahmed's family members.
Police, however, protected Mahbubey from the pro-BNP lawyers' wrath and took him to a safe place.
National Democratic Party, 13 lawyers at the SC, rights organisation Odhikar and 250 teachers at Dhaka University, in separate statements protested the death.
Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum, a platform for pro-BNP lawyers, will hold protest rallies across the country on Monday demanding resignation of the home minister, the attorney general and the inspector general of police.
THE CASES
Ahmed was one of the pro-BNP lawyers accused of assaulting police and obstructing them from discharging duties on the SC premises on August 2 and 4.
Police filed two cases after the opposition-backed lawyers scuffled with pro-ruling party lawyers over an HC bench's observation that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's comment on constitution was tantamount to sedition.
Ahmed and 10 other lawyers sought anticipatory bail from the High Court which was rejected. Later, 13 pro-BNP lawyers except MU Ahmed sought bail from a lower court and were granted bail.
"Had the lawyer been granted anticipatory bail, he would not have died," said SC Bar Council President Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, a pro-BNP lawyer.
"I assisted pro-BNP lawyer so that they could get bail. MU Ahmed could not apply for bail again as he was sick. It could have been a political trick," said Attorney General Mahbubey Alam, who visited the hospital in the afternoon.
SHAHARA ACCUSED
Selina last night lodged complaint with Ramna Police Station against six people including Home Minister Shahara Khatun accusing them of torturing Ahmed in police custody, which led to his death.
Police did not record the complaint as a case.
The other accused are: Attorney General Mahbubey Alam and Home Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Benazir Ahmed, Deputy Commissioner of Detective Branch concerned and Officer-in-Charge of Shahbagh Police Station Rezaul Karim.
Ramna OC Rafiqul Islam told The Daily Star that they received the complaint and they will decide whether to record it as a case after investigation.
Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, president of Supreme Court Bar Association, filed the complaint on behalf of Selina. He said, "We'll continue the legal fight. If police do not record the case, we will decide our next course of action then."
He said Ahmed did not have any heart disease before rather he was suffering form asthma.
JANAZA TODAY
Ahmed's first Namaj-e-Janaza will be held on the HC premises at 11:00am. He will be buried after the second Janaza in front of the BNP central office.
Source : The Daily Star
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