Juvenile correction centre killing: 12 including assistant director detained

Twelve people, including several teenagers and an assistant director of Jashore juvenile correction centre, have been taken into police custody for questioning over a clash that left three teen boys killed.

Jashore Superintendent of Police Ashraf Hossain confirmed the matter to The Business Standard on Friday.

In the incident, a total of 15 people were injured, including a wounded boy – Rupak – was admitted to the hospital afresh on Friday morning. He is a son of Sohel Hossain from Sujabad area under Bogura sadar upazila.

Meanwhile, relatives of the victims started gathering at the hospital and the juvenile correction centre from yesterday morning after knowing about the clash in newspapers and on television.

They blamed the authorities concerned for the incident.

Pavel Rahman, a prisoner juvenile undergoing treatment at the hospital, said, "On August 3, Head Guard (Ansar member) of the centre Nur Islam asked me to cut his hair. When I refused because I had pain in my hands for cutting the hair of about 200 people that day, he felt angry and started rebuking me."

At one stage, a few teenagers beat Pavel and he informed the matter to the office. However, Nur Islam alleged that the teenagers beat him after taking drugs.

However, the teenagers informed the authorities that they did not use drugs.

"After the incident, we were called to the office at around 12pm on Thursday and asked about the situation," said Pavel, adding, "At one point of time, Assistant Caretaker Masum Billah, Probation Officer Mushfiqur and others again beat us."

"They and some other prisoner boys beat us with iron pipes and sticks. They tied us up with window grills, forcibly inserted cloths in our mouths and beat us," said Jabed Hossain, another teenager from the correction centre.

"Some of us fainted. However, when we regained consciousness, they beat us again," he claimed.

Another teen boy named Ushan said Russell, who died due to heavy beating, was his roommate and was scheduled to be released on bail the next month.

He complained the probation officer, during beating, threatened the teenagers to put them in crossfire after filing them as fugitives.

The injured teens alleged that they were left untreated after the beating. When one died, they were then sent to the hospital. The injured were brought to the hospital in four phases between 8pm and 11pm.

Probation Officer Mushfiq said a couple of teenagers got injured during a between two groups a few days ago. The clash on Thursday evening was linked to the previous one.

He also said 14 teenagers were seriously injured in the fight. Initially, they were treated at the correction centre. Later, the critically injured were taken to the hospital where the doctors later declared Naim, Parvez and Russell dead.

Amiya Das, a doctor at Jessore 250-Bed General Hospital, said the teenagers had scars all over their body.

Additional DIG of Khulna Range AKM Nahidul Islam said those who were injured and are being treated at the hospital are the main witnesses to this incident. "Their issue is being taken with highest importance in our investigation."