Right organisation Odhikar on Thursday urged all concerned, rights activists in particular, to raise their voice against mobile courts sentencing citizens during hartals violating fundamental rights.
Odhikar said its investigation into one such case, revealed that a service holder was sentenced in violation of fundamental rights.
The investigation report said that due process of law was not followed in sentenc
ing Khandaker Ashaduzzaman to imprisonment for six months by a mobile court at Mahakhali on Tuesday.
Asaduzzaman was denied the right to self defence.
The produce of mobile courts, which require that an offence has to occur in the presence of a magistrate, was also ignored by the police in sentencing citizens during hartals.
Odhikar said its fact-finding team found out that the police arrested Ashaduzzaman, senior assistant officer at Mahakhali branch of Reliance Insurance Limited when he was returning home from his office at Mahakhali Kitchen Market with his colleagues at about 8 PM on Tuesday.
It also found that before he was arrested some people surrounded Ashaduzzaman saying that he was involved in setting a car on fire, 10 yards behind the Kitchen Market on Tuesday on the eve of the 48-hour hartal that began on Wednesday at the call of the opposition.
The fact finding team found out that after arresting Ashaduzzaman the police disappeared from the spot taking him towards the Mohakhali flyover.
The police ignored repeated pleadings of innocence by Asaduzzaman and his colleagues showing their identities cards.
Later, Ashaduzzaman's colleagues learnt that he had been taken to Gulshan police station where he was seen without wearing his shirt and there were injury marks on his back, the investigation by the Odhikar team revealed.
The fact-finding committee also came to know that Ashaduzzaman's colleague was allowed to meet Ashaduzzaman at the police station on condition that he would keep his mouth shut.
It also found out that the officer-in-charge of Gulshan police station had lodged a first information report on July 5 which stated that a mobile court had sentenced Ashaduzzaman for setting a car on fire on the basis of his confession to a magistrate.
Ashaduzzaman was, however, sent to jail on July 6, the fact finding team reported.
The FIR also mentioned that Ashaduzzaman and his associates had severely hurt sub-inspector Harunur Rashid, beating him with sticks, the report of the fact-finding team said.
Source : New Age
