No one tortured Kishore: PBI

"So, no one picked up and tortured Ahmed Kabir Kishore." 

This was how Kishore's brother, Ahsan Kabir, reacted to the Police Bureau of Investigation's (PBI) probe report on the custodial torture case filed by the cartoonist.

The PBI, after almost over half a year of investigation, said they found no evidence of torture in their report submitted to the court.

Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, a superintendent of police at PBI, told The Business Standard on Wednesday that they submitted the investigation report to the court on 17 October.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court has set November 24 for a hearing on the report, according to a court official.

"No initial evidence was found that 16-17 individuals in plainclothes tortured Kishore physically," the investigation report said.

In the case filed by Kishore in March this year, he alleged that he was picked up from his home on 2 May 2020 around 5:45pm.

According to the case statement, he was mentally and physically tortured till 4 May 2020. 

However, after his arrest in a case under the Digital Security Act on 5 May, police found no evidence of physical or mental abuse of Ahmed Kabir Kishore when he was taken into custody.

In the report, SP Mizanur, the investigation incharge, said he could not find any seizable evidence.

"We tried to collect video footage of the scene of the crime and around it. The plaintiff did not have any witnesses. According to the information given by the plaintiffs, a total of 19 witnesses were interrogated and their statements were recorded as per section 161."

No CCTV footage was found and the witnesses also could not provide any information. 

According to the report, RAB officer Abu Bakkar Siddique lodged a DSA complaint against the plaintiff and others with Ramna police station and as a result, Kishore was remanded in police custody for seven days. 

During the interrogation, the investigation officers and case officer found no injury marks on Kishore's body, so he was not even administered first aid. 

The case statement in this regard made no remarks on any injuries.

In the probe report, it was said that the victim could not give any information on what car he was taken in, which road he went to or which house was kept in. 

Although the victim mentioned in his statement that 17/18 men in white clothes took him, he could give no further information. 

Kishore, however, refuted the findings of the report. "Then who took me? There were at least three CCTV cameras around my house and 11 on the street and the nearby market. How is it possible they couldn't find a single footage?" he said

"The PBI called me to their Banasree office once over the torture case. I had my older brother and a lawyer with me. Another day, they went to inspect the scene. Outside of that I haven't even gotten a phone call so far.

"When my case was being investigated, I was only questioned about personal matters. They also asked me about Mushtaq Ahmed's personal affairs," Kishore said.

He said he was not interested in talking to the law enforcers anymore.

"Kishore was released on bail on 4 March after spending 10 months in jail in the case under the Digital Security Act. 

He later lodged a case with the court under the Prevention of Torture and Death in Custody Act.

In the case, Kishore alleged he was picked up by unidentified men three days before his arrest and he was physically and mentally tortured for two days.