Salahuddin
Ahmed Khan, notorious police official and the Officer in Charge (OC) of Mirpur
Model Thana, has a reputation of being the classical example of a thug in
uniform above the law; a reminder that corrupt thugs are the norm rather than
the exception in Bangladesh. This is in light of the impunity he has enjoyed
despite countless complaints of misconduct, involvement with crimes and regular
cases of inhuman torture of detainees from money, more so in the case of
political detainees, many of whom have complained of severe torture at the
hands of Salahuddin under the name of police remand. Salahuddin is counted as
the being the most powerful OC of the 49 thanas under the Dhaka Metropolitan
police (DMP), a reason behind the fact that even higher authorities within the
police department think twice before making a move against Salahuddin.
In
the latest incidence of such blatant misconduct, Salahuddin is being accused of having
masterminded the police torture and subsequent murder of a garments waste
trader in police custody. No actions have yet been taken against him, despite confessions
of the now notorious SI Jahidur Rahman, the police official who confessed to
senior police officials during interrogation that he had arrested the garments
waste on the orders of OC Salahuddin himself. It was under the orders of the
same Salahuddin that SI Jahidur Rahman tortured the garments waste. And it was
also under the advice of the same Salahuddin that the story of ‘death in
custody due to heart attack’ was concocted after the death of the trader due to
torture in police custody. After the truth behind the incident came to light,
the OC has tried to use his wide ranging leverage in the government ranks and
categorically denied any involvement in the incident. Despite the clear cut
evidence and confessions of the arrested SI Jahidur Rahman, one week on, any
modicum of action has yet to be taken against Salahuddin. The apparent inaction
over the incident on part of the police department gives rise to the question
of the extent of the support behind Salahuddin within the administration. It
also calls into question as to the identity of the specific highly powerful
group backing Salahuddin.
Salahuddin:
The tale of a terror in uniform
According
to sources, in 1990, OC Salahuddin joined the police department as a
Superintendent (SI). At the end of his training, he actively joined the police
force on the 1st of August, 1991. Later in 2006, he was awarded promotion as an
Inspector. From then onwards, he began showcasing misuse of power and
authority. In 2007, he joined as the OC of Hazaribag thana. He was admonished
and suspended temporarily several times during his tenure at Hazaribag thana in
lieu of his misconduct and misuse of authority, but he came back every time,
courtesy of his deep seated relations with high command and powerful leaderhip
within the current Awami League government. Back after the 1/11 government took
over power, he was transferred to the Rajshahi Range. But all that changed
after the current Awami league government came to power. He was transferred to
Keraniganj in Dhaka right after the onset of the Awami government. There, as
various complaints of misuse of authority and corruption piled against him, he
was transferred to Kotwali thana after being chased about by general people
when he was caught red handed committing a misdeed. At Kotwali, he established
himself as a corrupt unforgiving icon of terror, a nightmare to the businessmen
of Old Dhaka. His tenure at Kotwali was rife with allegations of monthly
extortion of traders and businessman. Those who refused to pay were picked up
and after being brought to the thana, threatened with severe consequences such
as torture and getting embroiled in numerous pending police cases. He was also
a constant source of fear for opposition political activists. A former
colleague of Salahuddin, presently a sub-inspector, speaking on the condition of
anonymity, stated that the Superintendents of Kotwali were themselves in fear
under Salahuddin and dreaded the fact that they had to hand over a large amount
of extortion money to Salahuddin at the end of every day.
As
per sources, Salahuddin again came under the media spotlight in May 2012 after
his involvement in assault of a teenage girl and beating of journalists and her
lawyers in court premises. Salahuddin, along with the erstwhile assistant
police commissioner, were temporarily suspended in the light of that incident.
However, Salahuddin managed to garner a posting within a few days from the
incident. He was transferred to Mirpur Model thana within 11th August of the
same year. Despite media outcry over the issue along with an interior ministry
investigation committee report against him, nothing came to pass and Salahuddin
remained immune from any kind of disciplinary action. Experts say that he was
actually rewarded instead of being punished for his breach of conduct.
After
transfer to Mirpur, Salahuddin has turned even more flagrant in his misdeeds. A
few days before the 5th of January elections, a team led by Salahuddin himself
ransacked the residence of Jubo Dal leader Mamun and his brother and arrested
the wife and college going daughter of Mamun’s brother in an attempt at
arbitrary arrest in line with repressive government policies against opposition
activists. The incident was widely
criticized in the media. At around the same time, Salahuddin was accused of
leading random raids in student mess homes wherein more than 150 youths were
arrested on unidentified charges and then releasing many of the detained in
exchange for large amounts of cash.
Last
year, a lawyer filed a case against Salahuddin in court. Since then, the plaintiff
has been constantly threatened by Salahuddin, who has derided the order of the
court issued against him. On the 17th of March last year, Salahuddin was
alleged to have tortured a youth named Bablu and shot him directly in the leg.
That youth has now lost his leg. During the night of the 10th of April the same
year, two youths named Milton and Shipon were arrested and severely tortured at
the hands of Salahuddin. Within half an hour of being taken to the police
station, both were admitted to the National Orthopedic hospital in critical
condition. They had been shot at with weapons aimed at their hands and legs.
Both have become crippled. Under the command of Salahuddin, police also
arrested 22 teachers from Mirpur National High School, who were holding a
meeting in lieu of upcoming examinations in their school. The arrests were
touted by police as being that of school teachers attending a secret meeting
plotting against the government. Police under the directions of the OC then
collected fat sums of money from the families of the detained. Azharul Islam, a
Masters student in Social Sciences, was arrested, confined and tortured in
police custody by Salahuddin. His hands and legs were broken due to severe
beating during torture and nails of hands and feet removed. In the meantime, his
family was threatened by Salahuddin, who demanded that they pay two lakh taka
for his release. That student now has turned into a cripple as well.
A
history of documented(?) corruption:
Sources say that OC
Salahuddin Ahmed Khan is accused of illegally accumulating huge amounts of
wealth. Salahuddin prominently featured during investigations into corruption
by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) amongst police officials from 2010 to
2011. After the conclusion of primary investigation into the allegations of
corruption, OC Salahuddin was sent a letter from the ACC in February 2011 to
give a statement of his wealth and income within a stipulated time.
Surprisingly however, the file containing the allegations and findings of the
investigation into allegations of corruption against Salahuddin disappeared
from the records of the ACC itself! The disappearance of the file on Salahuddin,
keeping in mind that the files on the other police officials have remained
intact, has generated a lot of criticism within the ACC. Previously, a
complaint from the Interior Ministry stated that apart from more than 1 crore
taka invested in the share market, Salahuddin was also found to possess wealth of
several crores of taka, findings that are not in line with the earnings of a
police official.
Sources state that OC
Salahuddin hails from a village in Gopalganj. A senior and very powerful
official in the Dhaka Metropolitan Police department is said to hail from the
same place as his village area. Salahuddin, whose father was a mere school
teacher, was said to have taught this DMP police official. In lieu of his
personal ties with that official, Salahuddin maintains a privileged status
within the force, a reason behind which many in the department are reluctant to
make a move or speak out against him. When contacted by reporters on the above
information of links and powerful protection, OC Salahuddin declined to make
any comments.
Finally, a case filed
against Salahuddin:
In the latest incidence of misconduct against Mirpur police
OC Salahuddin, a murder case was filed on Sunday with the Dhaka Metropolitan
Sessions Judges Court against him and nine others in connection with the
custodial death of a trader. The court also ordered a judicial inquiry into the
alleged murder of the garment waste trader, Mahbubur Rahman Sujon in the
custody of Mirpur police.
Dhaka metropolitan sessions judge Md Zahurul Haque passed the
order in response to the case filed by Mamtaz Sultana Luchi, the widow of
Mahbubur, against 10 people, including Mirpur police OC Salahuddin Khan and
sub-inspector Jahidur Rahman. Six people, including the plaintiff herself, have
been named as witnesses. Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association
executive director Salma Ali moved for the complainant.
Mahbubur was arrested in the early hours of July 13 at his
house at Sankar, Dhanmondi, and was declared dead after being taken to Dhaka
Medical College and Hospital after a few hours. The police had initially filed
a case against eight people, including four of their fellows and four police
informants, on July 17, after Mahbub’s wife alleged that the trader had been
tortured and DMCH doctors confirmed it. SI Jahid was arrested on July 16 along
with police informant Nasim Sheikh.
A court on the next day remanded Jahidur and his informant in
police custody for five days each. Mahbub’s widow alleged that Jahidur raided
their house and took her husband to the police station and tortured him to
death. She also alleged in the case that the sub-inspector had demanded that
her husband pay him Tk 2 lakh every month. Earlier, the SI also threatened to
kill or harass him in different cases if he did not pay him the money.
Six accused are still on the run. They are – assistant SI Raj
Kumar, constables Anwar Hossain and Rashedul Islam, and informants Khokan,
Faisal and Palash. Police have formed a committee, headed by Mirpur division
additional deputy commissioner Jasim Uddin, to investigate the incident. The
family claims Mirpur police OC Salauddin Khan was clearly involved in the
torture and killing. In the details of the filed case, it is stated that the
accused SI Zahid and OC Salahuddin misused their authority in murdering trader
Sujon. His wife Sultana Lucy, while describing the incident, says that after SI
Zahid reached the police station at night with the detained family, said into
the wire, “Sir, I have brought the haramzada. I have (been) beat(ing) him all
along. What should I do now?” The voice from the other end of the wireless
said, “Close it. Or finish it.”
It is no wonder that a lot of pressure is now under the
police and judiciary to actually turn their commitments and words into deeds. As
the days go by, the question remains. Will Salahuddin finally be brought to
justice?
References:
1. http://mzamin.com/detailsarchive.php?mzamin=MzMyODE=&s=Mg==
2. http://newagebd.net/33200/oc-sued-judicial-probe-ordered/
3. http://observerbd.com/details.php?id=33640
