July uprising: Ex-CMP commissioner arrested in murder case

Police today (12 February) arrested the former commissioner of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) Saiful Islam in a murder case.

Confirming the arrest, CMP Additional Commissioner Humayun Kabir told The Business Standard, "Based on a specific allegation, he [Saiful] was arrested by police in Dhaka and a team of CMP went to Dhaka to bring him back."

Later in the day, a Chattogram court ordered to show former Saiful arrested in the case filed over the murder of Chittagong University student Hridoy Chandra Taruya during the July uprising. 

The court, in response to a seven-day remand prayer, also sent him to jail allowing the police to interrogate him at the jail gate for three days, Advocate Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan, public prosecutor (PP) of the Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court, told The Business Standard.

As per the case documents, Hridoy Taruya, a history student at Chittagong University, actively participated in an anti-discrimination student movement. Following orders from some of the accused in the case, a violent attack was launched on the protesting students, including gunfire. Several attackers, armed with weapons, took part in the assault.

On 18 July last year, Hridoy was shot in the Chandgaon area of the city and was immediately hospitalised. He succumbed to his injuries on 23 July in Dhaka.

Following his death, Hridoy's friend Azizul Haque filed a case on 20 September with Chandgaon Police Station, accusing 206 identified individuals along with 400-500 unidentified people in connection with the attack and murder.

Saiful Islam took charge as the 32nd commissioner of CMP on 4 July last year. He was later reassigned to Rajshahi's Sardah Police Academy on 21 August.

As an officer of Bangladesh Civil Service's 20th batch, Saiful Islam earlier served as deputy inspector general of police at Dhaka metro rail before being posted as the CMP commissioner.