The High Court yesterday summoned the officer-in-charge of Akhaura police in Brahmanbaria to appear before it on July 23 in connection with his report in which he had falsely identified a businessman as a dead man.

An HC bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan served the summons upon hearing a writ petition filed by the businessman, Azad Hossain Bhuiyan challenging the legality of the police report.

OC Mosharraf Hossain Tarafdar will have to explain in court as to why he mentioned Azad, of Bara Kuripika village in Akhaura, as dead in the report.

Petitioner's lawyer Kaiser Zahid Bhuiyan told The Daily Star that Azad wanted to go to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj later in this month.

A permanent resident and businessmen of Akhaura upazila, he had already deposited required fees to the authority for hajj pilgrimage and a passport, Kaiser said, adding that a police clearance document is required for those wishing to go for the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah.

But the OC submitted a police verification report to the Special Branch office, saying that Azad had died. The report was posted on the website of the ministry of religious affairs on June 20.

The court issued a rule yesterday asking the respondents to explain in a week why the police report should not be declared illegal.

Secretaries to the ministries of home and religious affairs, inspector general of police, superintendent of police of Brahmanbaria and OC Mosharraf have been made respondents.  

Lawyer Kaiser said his client had filed a writ petition with the HC on July 11 seeking a correction of the report so that he could go to Saudi Arabia for hajj.

He added that he had advised his client not to go to his village in Akhaura for some days, apprehending that police might kill him to prove that the police report was correct.