Please - Odhikar

arrangement so that the female arrestee can use it. Water supply is regular with adequate
lighting. Lock-up is cleaned regularly. Arrestees have to procure food from outside. The custody
rooms remain over-crowded most of the time.
Police’s behavior towards victims:
Waiting for more than one hour for filing cases and complaints is a common picture in Fatulla
Thana. Normally police behavior depends and varies on socio-economic status of
complainants/victims. Sometimes it is quite ruthless and insensitive but it is also seen that they
behave with due respect and politeness. They don’t pay full attention to the statements of the
victims. If a case is filed, then they usually ask about the offences, what was the reason of filing
cases etc. Adopting unfair means and applying many tactics for getting money from
complainants/victims was observed.
Police behavior towards accused:
Consulting a personal attorney or a legal counsel was permitted and normally there was no bar.
By paying money to the sentry, family members are permitted to talk to the arrestees. Most of
the time police are rude to detainees but they are informed about the reason of arrest. Usually
normal arrestees are not tortured physically but for the arrestees under remand, torture is
common. No information of sexual harassment was reported but police created pressure or
undue influence for money.
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* Odhikar was informed that, arrestee Salauddin(30) was arrested from a restaurant with a
bag of brown sugar. But he had no drugs with him. As narrated by his mother, police
tortured him and sent him to the court. Most of the time arrestees were kept in the thana for
more than 24 hours.
* One female arrestee was found kept waiting in the corridor between the two custody
rooms. She told the fact finders that she worked in a garment manufacturing factory and
police had arrested her without any reason. The police told the fact finders that she had been
arrested under Section 54 of the Cr. P. C and would be produced before the court soon, but
did not specify when. She claimed that the police slapped her as a part of the interrogation.
She had been in the police station for three days.
* Odhikar found that Ishak Mia (about 70years old) was arrested. He narrated that his son
had a conflict with a lawyer and that lawyer filed a case against him. Duty Officer said they
could not do anything as a case was filed against him but they were taking care of him.
* Another arrestee Sumon (25) was freed by paying money to police.
* An accused of a theft case, Delowar ( 32) was beaten by sticks outside the custody rooms.
As he started to vomit he was taken outside and beaten severely but after that he was freed.
* Nobi Hossain (22) told Odhikar that he was caught on the street the night before, but did
not know why he had been arrested.
* Jamal, Iqbal, Rassel and Mojnu were arrested in a robbery case and were kept in the lock
up for more than 24 hours. They were yet to be presented before a magistrate.
Report 2005