A street food vendor named Nazrul Islam Molla (43) was allegedly beaten to death in the Sipahibagh area of Khilgaon, Dhaka. His family has accused members of a law enforcement agency of being responsible for his death.
According to police sources, Nazrul died at the emergency unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) around 12:15 PM on Saturday.
Originally from Pangashia village in Kalkini upazila of Madaripur district, Nazrul lived in a rented house in Khilgaon`s Sipahibagh area with his wife Aklima Begum and their two children. He used to sell puri and singara nearby.
Nazrul’s maternal uncle Kamal Hossain said the deceased had a history of drug use and sales, and there were narcotics cases filed against him at Khilgaon Police Station.
Describing the incident, Kamal alleged that around 11:00 PM on Friday, members of a law enforcement agency entered Nazrul’s home and physically assaulted him in front of his wife and children. Both Nazrul and his wife were then taken to the Basabo camp, where he was allegedly beaten again.
Nazrul reportedly lost consciousness around 4:00 AM Saturday. At that point, two officers allegedly gave his wife 1,000 taka and told her to take him to Mugda General Hospital. After taking him there in a critical condition, Aklima was assisted by Khilgaon police to bring him to DMCH, where doctors declared him dead.
Family members claimed there were visible injury marks on Nazrul’s hands and back, suggesting he had been beaten severely.
In response, Sub-Inspector (SI) Rafiqul Islam of Khilgaon Police Station said, “Nazrul was taken to Mugda Hospital by his family. Later, with the help of police, he was transferred to DMCH, where he was declared dead. So far, we haven’t received any written complaint. We will take action if one is filed.”
