Death in custody: Cops forced family to receive body

The wife of Sumon Sheikh, who died in police custody three days ago, yesterday alleged that police forced them to receive his body from the morgue, and that his burial was arranged without her knowledge.

Hearing the news of the burial, Sumon's wife Jannat Begum rushed to the Azimpur graveyard in the evening. She fainted seeing the arrangement there. Regaining senses, she could see her husband's face just before he was buried.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Speaking to The Daily Star, Sumon's father Peyar Ali said police and some local Awami League leaders went to his West Rampura home around 2:00am yesterday. They forced him to receive the body from the morgue of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College in the morning.

"When relatives and locals were protesting Sumon's death and blocked the DIT Road on Sunday night demanding justice, police along with some local Awami League leaders came to my home and asked me to receive the body as it was swelling. I asked them how I could do that when my relatives were staging protests.

"In the morning, police took us to the morgue forcefully," he alleged.

Jannat and her family members were angry as they were not informed about the handover of the body and burial beforehand.

Denying the allegations, DMP Deputy Commissioner (Tejgaon Division) HM Azmiul Haque told reporters that Sumon's father and brother received the body. As they wished, Sumon was buried at Azimpur graveyard.

On Sunday, Jannat and her relatives said they would not receive the body until they filed a murder case with a court accusing cops.

An assistant at the morgue told The Daily Star that police received the body around 3:00pm yesterday. Police took the body to Al-Markazul Islami on Babar Road in the city's Mohammadpur for washing, said family sources.

Mosharraf Saiful, Sumon's brother-in-law, asked, "How could police hand over the body without informing my sister? We didn't see the father of my brother-in-law in the last two days. He is not mentally stable.

"While waiting outside a Dhaka court to file a case, we received a call from the Hatirjheel Police Station OC. He told us that we should settle the issue keeping in mind the future of Sumon's six-year-old son. He asked us to wait at the court for them, but the police handed over the body to his father and arranged the burial," he told this correspondent.

Sumon, a 25-year-old delivery man at the distribution office of a private company, died inside the lockup of Hatirjheel Police Station early Saturday, hours after he was detained. Police later that day filed an unnatural death case with the same police station.

Law enforcers showed CCTV footage to journalists, which showed that Sumon died bysuicide inside the lockup. His family members alleged that police demanded bribes, and tortured and framed him.

Faruque Hossain, deputy commissioner (media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said police didn't force anyone to receive the body.

"Two cops of Hatirjheel Police Station have been suspended over negligence of duty. Departmental actions will be taken against them after conducting a probe."

Faruque alleged that Sumon's wife was "doing politics" over the body.

Earlier yesterday, senior police officials and Sumon's father and brother held a meeting at Hatirjheel Police Station, said family sources.

The namaz-e-janaza of the deceased was held at a mosque in West Rampura before the body was taken to Azimpur graveyard under police protection, said a relative of Sumon, wishing anonymity.

On Saturday, the Tejgaon DC said the deceased was detained in a case filed on August 15 over theft of Tk 53 lakh from a company.

Family members alleged that police initially concealed the information about Sumon's death. They sent the body to the medical college morgue for an autopsy without informing the family.