Two up-and-coming musicians have been tortured with electric shocks and beatings in police custody, families allege.
Saimoon Hasan Nahian, a guitarist of D Rock Star champion Power Surge, and Sarkar Mehedi Afif, a guitarist of Mirror Blaze, were arrested on Sunday in connection with a theft, a charge the families claim to be false.
Nahian, a BBA final year student of North South University, was picked up Sunday afternoon in a case filed by his neighbour Minhaj Mannan Emon.
In his case statement, Emon mentioned that 40 tolas of gold ornaments went missing from his apartment while he and his family members were abroad from August 28 to September 5.
Afif, a fourth-year law student of School of London, was arrested Sunday night as he went to visit his friend Nahian detained at Dhanmondi Police Station.
According to Nahian’s family members and relatives, he was given electric shock. Afif’s brother Sarkar Nazmus Saqib said police beat him up with sticks.
However, Mohammad Maniruzzaman, officer-in-charge the police station, denied the allegations.
The OC said they produced the detainees before the court yesterday seeking a seven-day remand for them. The court fixed tomorrow for the hearing on the remand prayer.
Yesterday evening, prominent singers and members of leading bands of the country protested the arrest of the two guitarists.
At a press conference held at the office of Aneek R Haque, the lawyer of the detained two, they alleged police tortured the guitarists inhumanly being influenced by the complainant.
They demanded immediate release of Nahian and Afif and also punishment to the policemen involved in the torture.
Bangladesh Musical Band Association (Bamba) President Hamin Ahmed, singer Bappa Majumder, musicians Iqbal Asif Jewel, Kawsik Tapas, Sheikh Monirul Alam, among others, were present at the briefing.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
