Police clash over bribe sharing

Two police personnel were suspended and three others were withdrawn from their work, on Monday night, following an alleged clash among cops over sharing of bribes at Ashulia Police Station.

File Photo

Md Asaduzzaman, deputy inspector general (DIG) of Dhaka police, formed a probe committee, headed by additional police superintendent Sheikh Rafiqul Islam, to investigate the matter. It has already started investigation into the incident.

SM Badrul Alam, officer-in-charge (operations) of Ashulia Police Station, said, “Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Mizanur Rahaman and constable Shah Alam were suspended temporarily, while sub-inspector Sekandar Hossain, and two constables Shahidul Islam and Bacchu Miah were withdrawn from their work in the department.”

According to sources, the accused had released a criminal, after taking a bribe of Tk. 20,000, in the Yearpur area on Saturday night. The policemen, who were allegedly involved in the incident, denied the allegation. They described the whole thing as a conspiracy against them.

Sources said Mizanur Rahman had given only Tk. 500 to each of the constables, keeping the rest of the bribe money for himself. This created a furore, as the constables demanded a bigger share. At one stage, while they were engaged in a scuffle, ASI Mizan had allegedly hit constable Shah Alam on the head, leaving him critically injured.

Sensing trouble, Mizan then secretly brought the injured constable to the nearby Gonoshahthaya Medical College Hospital for treatment.

Senior police officials, including the superintendent of police in Dhaka district, Mizanur Rahman, and additional superintendent Sheikh Rafiqul Islam reported the whole incident to the higher authorities.

Talking to The Independent, Mizan denied the allegations against him, and termed the allegation of taking bribes as a conspiracy. “I did not arrest anyone from Yearpur on Saturday night. I went to the house of one Abu Bakar Siddiki in Doshaied under Ashulia, who was wanted, in connection with a case filed with the court. But when he showed me his bail bond, I came back to the police station,” he said.