Death in DB Custody: Dark bruises turn light in inquest report

Although the body of the man who died in DB custody on Sunday bore many severe bruises and blood clots, the police inquest yesterday found only light bruises on the victim's legs.

“Both the hands are normal … both the legs are normal …,” read parts of the inquest report.

Sub-Inspector Harichand Hazra of Shahbagh Police Station prepared the report in presence of a magistrate yesterday afternoon.

Contradicting the findings, hospital officials, who saw the body in the last two days, told this correspondent that the body of Ashraf Ali alias Aslam had numerous bruises. Blood clots in lower parts of his knees and on a wrist were spotted clearly, they said.

Sohel Mahmud, head of forensic medicine department at Dhaka Medical College, who conducted the autopsy on Ashraf, told reporters that there were injuries on the legs.

On Sunday, a DB official allegedly tried to register the death as a natural one, but failed as several Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) officials insisted that the body had bruises. 

The victim's elder brother Nazrul Sheikh yesterday alleged that detectives picked up his brother Ashraf, tortured him in custody and took him to the hospital just before he was about to die to avoid responsibility. 

Detectives of Dhaka Metropolitan Police earlier claimed that Ashraf fell sick while in custody and was taken to DMCH around 12:30pm on Sunday. He died hours later while awaiting some medical tests.

Detectives, however, denied torturing Ashraf.

DB said they picked up Ashraf, along with his wife Ripa and father-in-law Alal, on Saturday to interrogate them in connection with a kidnapping incident.

Ashraf, son of late Samad Sheikh of Jamalpur, was a driver of Ashulia DB police and he quit his job around a year ago, the victim's family said.

Police on Sunday claimed that they had released Ashraf's wife and her father.

But the two did not visit either the hospital or the morgue.

Meanwhile, two women, both claiming to be Ashraf's wives, went to DMCH yesterday and identified the body. 

According to police, one Nazmul lodged a general diary with Shah Ali Police Station on April 26, mentioning that his brother Niamul had been abducted. The family received a phone call from an unknown caller who demanded Tk 1 lakh in ransom.

A DB team tracked down the phone number and found that it was Aslam's cellphone.

Sub-Inspector Anuz Kumar Sarkar of the police station, who is investigating the case, yesterday told reporters that alongside him, Additional Deputy Commissioner of DB (West) Mahmud Naser Jhony collected copies of the GD and other documents.

A DB team under Jhony had picked up Ashraf with his wife and father-in-law from Gazipur on Saturday, said a police official.   

This correspondent called Jhony over his cellphone and sent him a text for his comment on the allegation of the victim's brother, but he neither received the phone call nor sent any reply. 

Hours after Ashraf died, Nazmul, who lodged the GD, filed a case with Shah Ali Police Station on Sunday night, alleging that an unknown caller demanded Tk 10 lakh in ransom.

Ashraf's brother Nazrul took the body to his village home from the hospital yesterday night.