Boy 'tortured to death' over land dispute

A Sherpur court on Thursday asked the sadar police station's officer-in-charge (OC) to turn an unnatural death (UD) case into one of murder centring the death of a 12-year-old boy whose body was found hanging from a jackfruit tree.

Chief Magistrate Md Saifur Rahman passed the order following a case the victim's father filed with the court that day alleging that a neighbouring family tortured the boy to death after detaining and falsely accusing him of stealing betel nuts.

The accused are Umed Ali, 65; his sons Md Mati Miyan, 45, and Md Sheikh Miah, 37; Mati's wife Morsheda, 40, son Mamun Mian, 26, and daughter Maleka Khatun, 20; Shiekh's wife Nasrin Begum, 28, and eight to nine unidentified persons.

In the case statement, Gopon Mian said he and the family in Munshirchar Purbopara village had a feud over land ownership, the theft allegation was pre-planned and the family had hung the body to pass it off as a suicide.

Noor-e-Alam was detained on the evening of January 31, tortured and confined inside Mati's house, but when the class V student's parents came searching for him, the family claimed they had only slapped around and released him that day, it said.

With a broken neck and injuries all over, Noor's body was recovered from the area the next morning by police, who recorded it as a UD case instead of one of murder, it added.

Sherpur District Sadar Hospital is yet to release an autopsy report. The OC, Mazharul Karim, said they were awaiting the court order and that primarily it had looked like a suicide.

The Daily Star was able to collect only Nasrin's cellphone number. No comment could be taken as it was found switched off.