Tuesday, October 7, 2025

OC was lying

Say High Court judges; Quader’s statement and OC’s version totally different
“You are lying,” Justice AHM Shamshuddin Chowdhury Manik told Helal Uddin, officer-in-charge (OC) of Khilgaon Police Station, when he was giving statement on the arrest of Abdul Quader.
“Tell us the whole truth. Otherwise, we will send you to the prison on Nazimuddin Road without your uniform,” the judge kept reminding the OC throughout the hearing.
The High Court (HC) bench of Justice Manik and Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore came down heavily on the Khilgaon OC as it found inconsistencies in his statement about the arrest of DU student Abdul Quader and filing of cases against him.
While OC Helal was giving his statement, Quader was sitting behind him on a wheelchair with his left leg bandaged heavily from the thigh down.
OC Helal made several deep wounds on the leg with a cleaver (chapatti) on July 16 while Quader was in police custody, the victim told the court before the OC was called in the dock for his statement.
Quader also showed the court the injury marks on his body, especially on the back and arms, made by police around 1:30am on the day of his arrest.
While he said he had been arrested from Segunbagicha, OC Helal kept claiming that they picked him up from near Khilgaon Police Outpost on July 16 around 3:30am.
In his defence, the OC said at 3:09:14am Quader made a call over his cellphone using the Khilgaon mobile phone tower.
At this statement, the judges became very suspicious and said that according to Quader’s statement, if he was picked up around 1:30am and then taken to Khilgaon Police Station, there is a chance that police made the call to prove that Quader was in Khilgaon area around 3:00am and that he was arrested around 3:30am from that area.
The judges also pointed out that police recorded the cases against Quader eight hours after the arrest. They were also not satisfied with the explanation the OC came up with for the delay in case filing.
According to the judges, the time might have been spent fabricating evidence to justify Quader’s arrest.
The 26-year-old master’s student of biochemistry and molecular biology wept his eyes dry as he narrated how several plainclothes police brutally beat him up.
“When I told them that I was a student of Dhaka University, they started beating me up even fiercely calling me a robber,” Quader told the court.
On the night of his arrest, Quader was returning to his dormitory Fazlul Haque Hall from his cousin’s house at Holy Family Doctors’ Quarters in Eskaton. He was coming on foot as no transportation was available at that time.
Just when Quader was about to pass the Anti-Corruption Commission premises in Segunbagicha, he noticed a man running towards him from behind. Guessing that the man could be chasing someone else he stood his ground to stay away from any commotion.
“Later I noticed a gun tucked in the man’s trousers. He came to me and hit me with his gun and soon his other colleagues joined in the mayhem,” said Quader, adding that they were policemen.
Thereafter the policemen took him to an unknown youth who was also being beaten up by several other policemen. They asked the youth if he knew Quader and the youth said that he did so.
“But I told the policemen that if the youth could tell my name they can shoot me on the very spot,” Quader told the court, adding, “He did not know my name.”
Later, the police personnel took Quader to Khilgaon Police Station on a car. Quader showed the court how his nails turned black from the brutal torture by police.
“I was barely conscious after the beating,” he said, “at the police station, the duty officer asked me about my accomplices. I told him that there was none and that I was not out on the street to rob anyone”.
When the court asked OC Helal to give his statement on the incident and go through the content of the cases, he gave accounts that were totally different from that of Quader’s.
Helal claimed that police did not beat Quader up. It was a mob in Khilgaon who beat him when six persons, including Quader, were trying to flee from a private car being intercepted by four plainclothes patrol police.
Four of them escaped while police managed to get their hands on two — Quader and one Mamun — after the mob beating, the OC said.
The judges then asked the OC how many people gathered on the spot at 3:30 in the morning to beat up six robbers.
The OC said he did not know but the duty officer might.
The judges then asked him whether he asked the on-duty policemen about the number of people in the mob. Helal Uddin said he did not.
The judges then enquired whether Khilgaon police arrested anyone from the mob. The OC again answered in negative.
“Don’t you think those who beat up the two youth committed a crime?” Justice Manik asked the OC. Helal Uddin responded in affirmation.
Asked why no one from the mob was arrested, OC Helal said police could not arrest anyone as the people fled the scene.
When the judge asked about the registration number, colour, the make and the name of the owner of the car that the six youths allegedly tried to escape from, the OC could only give the registration number and the colour of the vehicle. However, he had no clue about the car’s model and its owner.
The OC claimed that the car was stolen from Mohammadpur on July 14 and a case was filed in the same day in this regard and that the car was being used by the six youths for robbery.
Justice Tagore then became suspicious that Khilgaon police had used the evidence of the carjacking case filed with Mohammadpur police in the alleged robbery case in Khilgaon.
Justice Manik then warned the OC not to lie about the incident.
OC Helal claimed that he was telling the truth.
“Which houses and addresses did they try to rob that night?” asked Justice Manik.
OC Helal said they did not rob any specific house.
“Then how did you identify them as robbers,” asked the court.
The OC said Mamun, the other youth who was allegedly arrested with Quader, told police that they tried to rob a rickshaw puller but did not find much money.
At that time, the packed courtroom erupted with laughter with lawyers, DU students, journalists and Quader’s family members joining in.
Asked about the eight-hour delay in filing the case, OC Helal said police were trying to find the other four members of the alleged gang of robbers.
“Do you think it is alright to chase around with two injured suspects without giving them any medical attention?” the court asked.
The OC replied that police gave them first aid.
“But you are no doctors,” the court asked, “Isn’t it your duty to send injured suspects to doctors?”
Ruling party lawmaker Abdul Matin Khasru, who stood for Quader, at one point, raised the question that the stab wounds in Quader’s leg were from a cleaver while mobs never carry such sharp weapons with them.
Justice Manik agreed with Khasru.
The judges also expressed disappointment, as the OC did not bring all the relevant case documents with him including the first information record (FIR) of the case filed for carrying sharp weapons.
“Why did the police torture him [Quader] so badly? We need to stop such brutality,” said Khasru.
The HC came forward to deal with the torture on Quader following yesterday’s report on The Daily Star titled “Police out to ‘frame’ youth”. The report was read out loud several times during the court proceedings.
At one point, the court asked OC Helal about his statement in the report.
The OC claimed that a part of report where he said, “… They made the arrest after another detainee had named Quader as one of their accomplices,” was not his statement.
Justice Manik then asked two correspondents of The Daily Star who were present in the court to appear before the judges. The court enquired the reporters about the OC’s claim.
One of the correspondents told the court that the OC was not misquoted and the statement published in the newspaper was whatever OC Helal told over the phone.
At that time Additional Attorney General MK Rahman asked OC Helal whether he spoke to The Daily Star correspondent on Wednesday. OC Helal responded in the affirmative.

-With The Daily Star input

Related News

Bangladesh and KSA sign pact for workers’ rights

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia have just inked a labour recruitment agreement, marking the first deal aimed at promoting fair recruitment practices and protecting workers’ rights. Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser, Prof. Asif Nazrul, and the Saudi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Engineer Ahmad Bin Solaiman Al-Rajhi, recently came ... Read more

Poor pay, allowances of teachers affect education

World Teacher’s Day today Shahin Akhter Poor pay-scale and allowances and low social status mark the poor condition of the teachers in Bangladesh affecting the education sector, observed educationists and researchers. They also said that the Bangladeshi teachers were lagging much behind their fellows even in the neighbouring countries in terms of these facilities and ... Read more

Protecting hilsa: 22-day fishing ban begins

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The government has put a 22-day halt on catching, transporting, storing, selling, and marketing hilsa throughout the country. This measure aims to protect the fish during its crucial breeding season. The ban started at midnight yesterday and will last until October 25, as stated in a notification from the Ministry of ... Read more

Road fatalities: 446 crashes, 417 lives lost in September

News Desk : dhakamirror.com In September, a tragic report from the Road Safety Foundation revealed that at least 417 people lost their lives and 682 were injured in 446 road accidents throughout Bangladesh. Among those who died, there were 63 women and 47 children, as highlighted in the foundation’s monthly report released today. In 151 ... Read more

Man’s fatal fall into Ramna Park lake

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A tragic incident occurred yesterday at Ramna Park in the capital, where a man drowned in the lake. The victim has been identified as 55-year-old Wasimul Haq. The police were able to identify him using fingerprint records. According to Ramna police SI Mizanur Rahman, he was discovered unconscious around 6:00 PM ... Read more

Tariff Commission’s size-based hilsa pricing strategy

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (BTTC), also known as the Tariff Commission, has suggested setting a maximum retail price for hilsa based on its size. This recommendation comes in response to the unusual spike in prices seen in the local market. On Sunday, the Tariff Commission released a report detailing ... Read more

Ekushey Book Fair won’t happen in December

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangla Academy announced yesterday (28 September), that the previously scheduled dates for the Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026 have been postponed. In a press release, they explained that this decision was made following a directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs on September 21, which indicated that the fair should ... Read more

Working in Bangladesh is quite challenging: CEC

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Election Commission is grappling with a mix of challenges, both seen and unseen, as it gears up for the upcoming elections and responds to various demands, shared chief election commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin on Saturday. “These hurdles might not be apparent from the outside, but we’re constantly navigating through them,” ... Read more

Travel ban on Keokradong hill to be lifted starting from 1 October

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Great news for travelers! Keokradong hill in Bandarban’s Ruma upazila is set to welcome tourists again starting October 1. The district administration has finally lifted the travel ban that had been in effect for almost three years. Bandarban Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shamim Ara Rini announced the decision today (27 September) during ... Read more

Tree planting campaign to lower pollution, make city more attractive

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Administrator Md Shahjahan Mia has inaugurated a tree plantation and greening programme covering 33 road medians, spanning a total length of 31 kilometres, within the corporation’s jurisdiction. Under the “Zero Soil” programme, ornamental flowering trees and grasses will be planted across 28 DSCC medians, while the ... Read more

Krishi Bank ranks third in remittance collection

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Krishi Bank has shown remarkable success in collecting remittances from expatriates during the first eight months of 2025 (January–August). Known as bank for farmers due to its agricultural loan services, this state-owned institution has climbed to the third position in remittance collection from abroad in that timeframe. This notable achievement has ... Read more

North Bay low : Rain forecast for Bangladesh

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Many parts of the country is expected to witness moderate to heavy and very heavy rainfall in the coming days due to the formation of a low-pressure system over the north Bay and adjoining coastal areas, the Met office said in its latest forecast. According to Bangladesh Meteorological Department’s 120-hour weather ... Read more

Metrorail boosts service: Extended hours & more frequent arrivals

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Dhaka metrorail service is set to start operating earlier in the morning and later at night to better serve the growing number of passengers. Service hours will be extended by 30 minutes at both the beginning and end of the day, and the interval between trains will be reduced by nearly ... Read more

22% minors in Bangladesh’s sex trade

News Desk : dhakamirror.com At least 22 percent of victims of commercial sexual exploitation (abuse of a person, or a minor, through sexual activities in exchange for money, goods, or other benefits) in Bangladesh are children, said speakers at an event yesterday. They shared the information at the launch of “Project Shurakkha”, an initiative of ... Read more

WB Reports Bangladesh Heat Costs at $1.78 Billion in 2024

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Rising temperatures in Bangladesh are fueling a surge in heat-related illnesses, leading to the loss of 250 million workdays in 2024 and economic losses estimated at $1.33–1.78 billion, representing about 0.3 to 0.4 percent of Bangladesh’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024, according to a new World Bank report. The report ... Read more

Police clearance no longer required for passports

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus announced that police verification will no longer be necessary for obtaining a passport, thereby reducing unnecessary hassle for citizens. “Getting a passport is a basic right. We have established a rule that eliminates the need for police verification,” he stated. While speaking at the opening session ... Read more

Metro rail achieves record 4 lakh daily passengers

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Metro Rail has achieved a remarkable milestone by carrying over 400,000 passengers in a single day. The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), which operates the Metro Rail, announced this achievement on their official Facebook page on Friday night. For the first time, Metro Rail recorded 403,164 passengers. The Metro Rail ... Read more

Most people, about 66% think civil servants behave as if they are rulers

News Desk : dhakamirror.com More than 100,000 participants have contributed their responses to reform commission’s online survey 80% of the respondents believe that the administration is not approachable for the general public, according to a survey conducted by the Public Administration Reform Commission. Additionally, 66% of participants feel that civil servants act as if they ... Read more

Former Justice Abdur Rouf dies

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Former Chief Election Commissioner Justice Md Abdur Rouf has passed away at the age of 91. He died around 10:00 am while receiving treatment at Insaf Barakah Kidney and General Hospital in Dhaka, as stated in a press release. Justice Rouf had been battling heart disease, lung complications, kidney issues, and ... Read more

Bangladesh climbed 4 positions to rank 93rd in global passport index

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh has climbed four notches up in the latest Henley Passport Index 2025, ranking 93rd out of 99. However, the number of visa-free destinations for Bangladeshi passport holders has dropped from 42 in 2024 to 39 this year, reflecting a decline in global travel privileges. Despite this improvement in rank — ... Read more