Four police officers withdrawn over alleged murder of Chhatra Dal leader pushed from rooftop

Four police officers from Pirgachha Police Station have been withdrawn and attached to the police lines following the death of Chhatra Dal leader Monwarul Islam Bokshi during a police operation in Savar to rescue a missing teenage girl from Rangpur. Concurrently, two separate investigation committees have been formed in Dhaka and Rangpur to inquire into the cause of the incident.

Pirgachha Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Selim Malik confirmed the matter on Monday (August 10). He stated that Sub-Inspector (SI) Kanak Ranjan Barman, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Md. Osman Ali, and Constables Prashanta Kumar and Sumi Akhtar, who were involved in the raid, were withdrawn on Saturday night.

The deceased, 30-year-old Monwarul, was the Vice President of Savar Upazila Chhatra Dal. He hailed from Dakshin Hatibandha village in Bamandanga Union under Sundarganj Upazila of Gaibandha and resided in Savar with his family.

According to police and family sources, a 15-year-old girl went missing from Monglakuti village in Kaikuri Union of Pirgachha on July 23. Her father, Mintu Miah, filed a General Diary (GD) with the police station regarding the disappearance. Later, with the aid of technology, police tracked her location to Savar.

Late Thursday night, a nine-member team from Pirgachha Police Station, led by SI Kanak Ranjan Barman, conducted an operation at the staff quarters of the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC) in Savar. Members of Savar Police Station were also present during the raid.

According to the police narrative, a loud noise of something falling from the building's rooftop was heard during the operation. Police officers subsequently found Monwarul lying critically injured at the scene. He was rescued and rushed to the hospital, where he died while undergoing treatment.

However, Monwarul's family alleged that he was pushed off the rooftop and murdered. His brother, Mamdel Hossain, claimed that the missing girl had a relationship with Monwarul's nephew, Shahriar Kabir Soumik, and that they were living in Savar after marrying voluntarily.

Relatives further alleged that during the rescue operation, the girl's father and another individual accompanied the police while wearing police uniforms. An altercation broke out between them and Monwarul on the rooftop, after which they allegedly threw Monwarul off the roof.

Following the incident, relatives and locals brought Monwarul's body in an ambulance to the front of Pirgachha Police Station on Saturday morning and staged a demonstration. The situation was later brought under control through the intervention of local political leaders.

Pirgachha Police Station OC Selim Malik stated that two separate probe bodies in Dhaka and Rangpur will work to uncover the real facts behind the incident. He reiterated that the four officers involved in the operation have already been attached to the police lines, and the true sequence of events will be revealed following the investigation.