By Mizan Rahman
Family members of a Bangladeshi journalist, who worked at local magazines, yesterday alleged that he had been killed by police for publishing a news report on corruption by an
influential person.
They also brushed aside the Uttara west police station’s claim that Shah Alam Sarkar had died on Sunday evening falling from the rooftop of the police station as he wanted to flee from the police custody.
“Shah Alam had no cases against him, so why would he want to escape? This is nothing but a pre-planned killing of police,” victim’s elder brother Kamal Mollah said yesterday.
Shah Alam, 36, used to work at local magazines and newspapers named Aparadh Daman, Asia Barta and PhotoJatra.
Kamal said police were involved in killing his brother “as when we went to the police station for filing a case, they not only rejected to take our complaint but also forced us to leave the station.”
Shah Alam published a corruption report against a college principal recently. Following this, police called him at the station and killed him after torture, Kamal said.
Nisarul Arif, deputy commissioner of police (Uttara division), said that following the report, the principal filed a general diary with the police station. The investigation officer (IO) called both of them at the police station on Sunday for enquiry.
When the IO started interrogating both of them, Shah Alam suspected that he might be arrested. He ran to the rooftop of the building and tried to get down using a pipe. But he fell down and died on the spot, said Nisarul.
On the other hand, the first information report (FIR) of police mentioned that Shah Alam died falling from the sunshade of the building’s seventh floor as he tried to escape from the police station using the space created for air-conditioner.
Kamal also said there were marks of injury on the victim’s knees and hands “which clearly means that he was
tortured by the police.”
Shah Alam also had a grocery shop in Roisnagar area of Jatrabari and lived in Shanir Akhra area with his wife and a daughter.