Md Suman, 17, from Ranabhola under Turag Police Station, had been missing since he left home on June 22. Around 11:00pm on June 26, police recovered his body from the Turag River, about half a kilometre from the boat terminal near Ashulia Gorur Haat.
According to Suman’s family, he had taken part in an Awami League procession on the day he went missing. They alleged that he jumped into the river from a boat while fleeing a police chase.
Speaking to The Daily Star, Suman’s maternal uncle, Jewel Babu, said, “Suman worked at a wholesale vegetable market. We had no idea he was involved in Awami League politics. He left home around 11:00am on June 22 and had been missing since. Later, we learnt that he had travelled by boat to join an Awami League procession in Ashulia’s Rustampur. From there, they all travelled in the same boat to the terminal near Ashulia Gorur Haat.”
As soon as they arrived, police chased them and arrested seven people. The others fled in different directions -- some swam across while some fled through nearby bushes. “Suman jumped into the river and went missing,” Babu said, citing some of those who escaped the police chase.
“We searched for him in the river but could not find him. Then on Friday night, police informed us that a body had been recovered from the river. We went to the scene and identified Suman from documents kept inside his wallet.
“The body was later taken to Ashulia Police Station. Police told us that an unnatural death case had to be filed before the body could be handed over. We did not want any trouble, so we filed the case. After the post-mortem, the body was handed over to us,” he added.
Ashulia police said that around 3:30pm on June 22, they chased a group of about 60 AL leaders and activists at the terminal beside Gorur Haat and arrested seven of them.
Sub-Inspector Rashidud Jaman filed a case the same day under the Anti-Terrorism Act, naming 21 while listing 45 others as unidentified.
Most of the accused are leaders and activists of the Awami League, whose activities are now banned, from different wards under Turag Police Station, according to the case statement.
Visiting the area yesterday, this correspondent spoke to three witnesses. All of them said that a boat carrying 30 to 35 people arrived at the terminal around 3:30pm. Shortly afterwards, eight to nine uniformed police officers, accompanied by 10 to 12 men in plainclothes, ran towards the boat.
According to the witnesses, some passengers jumped into the river and swam away, while others fled through nearby bushes. Police got on the boat and arrested four people before chasing and arresting three more.
The boat owner also fled, they said, adding that police later used the same boat to search for those who had jumped into the river but returned without finding anyone.
The witnesses declined to be named, citing safety concerns.
About these allegations, SI Rashidud Jaman told The Daily Star, “Seven Awami League activists were arrested during the procession near the boat terminal. The others managed to flee.”
Asked whether anyone was arrested on the boat, he said, “I did not find anyone on the boat. I found them at the terminal after they had been detained. Another police team made the arrests.”
Since June 22, Ashulia Police and Aminbazar River Police have recovered four bodies, including that of Suman, from the Turag.
Mahbubur Rahman, in-charge of the Ashulia Police Outpost, told The Daily Star that late Friday night, local fishermen spotted Suman’s body and informed the police.
“We recovered the body from the spot. Five mobile phones were found in his pockets.”
Humayun Kabir, officer-in-charge of Aminbazar River Police Station, told this correspondent over the phone that three bodies have been recovered since June 22 in his area.
He said that on June 24 morning, the body of Arif Hasan Rakib was recovered from the river under the Darus Salam Police Station. The partially decomposed body had apparently drifted downstream.
Later that day, a man named Rony Mollah drowned while bathing with several others at Diabari Ghat. The others managed to recover his body after searching for about an hour, and an unnatural death case was filed with Savar Model Police Station over the incident.
Additionally, the body of 15-year-old Maruf Hasan was recovered on Saturday afternoon. He had gone missing earlier the same day while swimming in the river, OC Humayun added.
The Daily Star was unable to contact the families of Maruf Hasan and Rony Mollah for comments.
However, Asadul Islam, uncle of Arif Hasan Rakib, told this newspaper over the phone, “I don’t want to comment on the matter. I heard that Rakib used to participate in Awami League processions. You have already seen what’s happening on Facebook. Our family is going through a traumatic time.”
Rakib had been missing since 22 June, he added.
According to locals, both Md Suman and Rakib were residents of Ranabhola area under Turag Police Station.
A review of Suman’s Facebook account shows a video of an Awami League procession, uploaded on June 21.
Police produced all seven arrestees before the court on June 23 with a petition for remand, according to their counsel Arif Sarkar Pavel, a Supreme Court lawyer.
“Today [yesterday] was the scheduled hearing on the remand petition. The court rejected the remand application and instead ordered that the seven be questioned for one day at the jail gate,” he told The Daily Star.
Quoting his clients, the lawyer claimed they had first held a procession by boat in Turag area before travelling by boat to the Ashulia Bazar area for what they described as a picnic.
“As soon as they arrived, they were chased and assaulted by police and BNP activists. Seven of them were detained, while many others jumped into the river to escape arrest and save their lives.”
About the defence lawyer’s claim, Ashulia Police Station OC Md Tarikul Islam, said, “We are not attaching importance to what the defence lawyer has said. According to the information available to us, the accused were arrested from the boat terminal adjacent to the cattle market. The superintendent of police has already given a detailed briefing on the matter today [yesterday].”
Earlier in the day, at a briefing at her office, Dhaka District Superintendent of Police Shamima Parveen said Suman’s body was recovered from the river on June 26, while Rony’s was recovered two days earlier.
She said both deaths were accidental. However, she alleged that a vested group had portrayed the incidents differently for political purposes and was spreading disinformation on social media.
“Those responsible for such disinformation will be identified and brought to justice,” she said, urging anyone with information about such acts to inform the Dhaka district police.
