DHAKA/FARIDPUR — An internal police investigation into the death of Bangladesh Chhatra League activist and law student Mirza Ishtiaq Ahmed Pranto in Detective Branch custody has recommended departmental proceedings against 11 police personnel, including the then officer-in-charge of Faridpur DB, after finding serious misconduct surrounding his detention, an apparently fabricated narcotics case, assault and alleged negotiations for money in exchange for his release.
Faridpur Superintendent of Police Shahriar Mohammad Miajee confirmed on Tuesday, August 4, that the investigation report had been sent to Police Headquarters.
“The internal investigation recommended initiating departmental proceedings against the 11 DB members, including the OC, and taking disciplinary action against them,” Miajee told reporters in Faridpur.
The findings sharply challenge the police account issued immediately after Pranto’s detention on June 20. DB personnel initially said he had been arrested with 100 grams of cannabis and later became ill in custody before dying at Faridpur Medical College Hospital the next morning.
However, investigators examining video footage, witness statements and testimony from Pranto’s family found no evidence that he possessed narcotics when detained.
The case has also reached the High Court, which on August 4 issued a rule asking why Pranto’s family should not receive Tk 5 crore in compensation over his custodial death. The order followed a petition by rights organization Ain o Salish Kendra seeking a judicial investigation and compensation.
All 11 Officers Found to Bear Responsibility
According to Faridpur police, every member of the DB team involved in the operation bore some degree of responsibility.
“Everyone who took part in that operation was involved in criminal activity in one way or another,” Miajee told The Voice. “Everyone had some degree of involvement. We have recommended departmental proceedings to determine the extent of each person’s responsibility and take further action accordingly.”
The officers are then-Faridpur DB inspector and OC Md Alamgir Hossain; Sub-Inspectors Md Ahaduzzaman and Motahar Ali; Assistant Sub-Inspector Md Hajikul Islam; constables Abu Sufian, Rakib Molla, Moniruzzaman, Md Rakibul Islam Rintu, Farhad Hossain Mia and Champa Halder; and driver Md Sabuj Molla.
All 11 were previously attached to Faridpur Police Lines following the controversy.
Departmental proceedings are administrative and do not themselves establish criminal guilt. The officers will be able to respond to the allegations, while any criminal liability would have to be determined separately through the courts.
Detained in Daylight, Dead the Next Morning
Pranto, 27, was a student at Faridpur Law College and a seasonal worker at Faridpur Sugar Mills. He lived in West Gondhardia in Madhukhali municipality.
DB members detained him near his home beside the Dhaka-Khulna highway at about 5 p.m. on June 20.
Less than a day later, on June 21, he died at Faridpur Medical College Hospital after becoming ill in custody.
Police initially denied allegations from his family that he had been tortured.
Then-DB OC Alamgir Hossain told journalists that Pranto had been detained with cannabis, brought to the DB office in the early hours of June 21 and became ill after Fajr prayers. He said Pranto was taken first to Faridpur General Hospital and later to Faridpur Medical College Hospital, where he died at around 8 a.m.
That version was later challenged by video evidence and the internal investigation.
Video Contradicts Narcotics Case
On June 21, DB Sub-Inspector Ahaduzzaman filed a case under the Narcotics Control Act at Madhukhali Police Station.
The case alleged that police went to Pranto’s home at around 2 a.m., that he tried to flee and was detained in the presence of two witnesses. It further claimed that Pranto admitted possessing cannabis and removed a polythene-wrapped packet containing 100 grams of the drug from the right pocket of his trousers.
Video footage appeared to contradict several crucial details.
The footage showed the detention taking place during daylight, not at 2 a.m. It also showed Pranto wearing a lungi rather than trousers. Reports describing the video said DB personnel could be seen striking him on the head while searching him. At one point, an officer pointed several feet away from where Pranto was being searched and drew attention to an object on the ground.
The inquiry found no evidence that Pranto possessed drugs.
“The narcotics case was false because we found no evidence that he had any drugs with him,” a member of the three-person inquiry committee told The Voice.
The same official said investigators also found evidence of financial negotiations with Pranto’s family over his release.
Witnesses Deny Being Present
Further doubts arose over the two men identified as witnesses to the alleged drug recovery.
Md Alamgir Hossain and Binoy Saha reportedly told investigators that they were not present when the supposed recovery took place. According to reports citing the inquiry, they said their signatures were obtained later after they were intimidated or misled.
Their accounts further undermined the police case, which claimed the cannabis was recovered in their presence.
SP Miajee has declined to publicly discuss every discrepancy, including the timing of the detention, alleged narcotics recovery, witness statements and allegations that DB personnel demanded money from Pranto’s family.
Mother Alleges Police Demanded Tk 100,000
Pranto’s mother, Khadija Akter, said that after her son’s detention, a relative named Sohel Munshi communicated with DB personnel and was initially told Pranto could be released for Tk 65,000.
She alleged police later raised the demand to Tk 100,000 after learning of his political affiliation.
“I went to Faridpur in the morning with Tk 100,000,” Khadija told journalists after the incident. “Later, I heard my son had been admitted to Faridpur Medical College Hospital. I went to the hospital and found my son’s body. They took my living son away in front of us, and later I received his body.”
She later repeated the allegation before the police inquiry committee.
Investigators found evidence that financial negotiations took place between police personnel and Pranto’s family, although publicly available findings do not establish that money was ultimately paid.
Inquiry Confirms Assault
The police investigation also found evidence that Pranto was physically assaulted in DB custody.
However, investigators said they could not conclusively establish that the beating alone caused his death.
“He was beaten, but we cannot say with certainty that the assault alone caused his death,” one committee member told The Voice.
The postmortem listed a stroke caused by internal hemorrhage as the cause of death.
Investigators reportedly considered whether the assault, detention, alleged false narcotics case and pressure surrounding the financial negotiations may collectively have contributed to severe physical or psychological stress, but they could not establish the precise causal chain.
The inquiry therefore identified misconduct, assault and fabrication of the narcotics allegation while stopping short of conclusively attributing the death solely to physical abuse.
Three-Member Inquiry Took More Than a Month
Following widespread criticism, Faridpur district police formed a three-member committee on June 22.
Additional Superintendent of Police for Administration and Finance Fatema Islam led the committee. The other members were Additional Superintendent of Police for Crime and Operations Md Shamsul Azam and then district Special Branch OC Mosharraf Hossain.
Initially given seven working days, the committee took more than a month and submitted its report to the superintendent of police on July 27.
“We have completed the investigation and submitted the report to the superintendent of police,” Fatema Islam told The Voice.
The report was later forwarded to Police Headquarters with recommendations for departmental proceedings against all 11 personnel.
Death Sparks Protests
Pranto’s death triggered protests in Madhukhali.
When his body was returned to West Gondhardia on June 22, hundreds of residents, including many women, blocked the Dhaka-Khulna highway for about 40 minutes demanding justice.
Local BNP leaders also attended his funeral prayers.
At Madhukhali Central Eidgah, Upazila BNP President Sahabuddin Ahmed described the death as a “killing.”
“If anyone is involved in any crime, they have the right to face legal trial procedures,” he said. “However, it is not acceptable under any circumstances for an accused to be beaten to death.”
Faridpur Chhatra League separately described Pranto as a dedicated activist, although some initial independent reports said his political affiliation had not then been independently verified.
High Court Seeks Explanation Over Tk 5 Crore Compensation
The High Court has now asked government authorities to explain why Pranto’s family should not receive Tk 5 crore in compensation.
The rule followed a writ petition by Ain o Salish Kendra seeking a judicial investigation and compensation.
Lawyer Md Shahinuzzaman, appearing for the petitioner, said the court directed the home secretary, inspector general of police, law secretary and other respondents to reply within four weeks.
“The court has issued a rule on the question of paying Tk 5 crore in compensation to Mirza Ishtiaq’s family,” Shahinuzzaman told reporters.
The rule does not mean compensation has already been awarded; authorities must explain why such an order should not ultimately be issued.
Custodial Torture Law and Accountability
Bangladesh’s Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act, enacted in 2013, establishes criminal liability for torture and deaths resulting from custodial abuse.
Prosecutions have historically been rare. Human Rights Watch noted that Bangladesh’s first conviction under the law came in 2020, seven years after its enactment. That case concerned the death of Ishtiaq Hossain Jonny after torture at Pallabi Police Station in Dhaka in 2014. The High Court later upheld life sentences against two police officers in August 2025.
Amnesty International has also repeatedly urged Bangladesh to independently investigate allegations of custodial torture and provide effective remedies to victims and families.
The recommendations in Pranto’s case amount to a significant acknowledgment by police authorities that serious wrongdoing occurred. The inquiry reportedly established assault, lack of evidence for the narcotics allegation, financial negotiations over his release and some degree of responsibility among all 11 officers involved.
But departmental action alone may not settle wider questions over possible criminal liability, alleged fabrication of evidence, attempted extortion, custodial assault and responsibility for Pranto’s death.
The High Court proceedings may bring broader judicial scrutiny, particularly because Ain o Salish Kendra is seeking an independent judicial investigation as well as compensation.
For Pranto’s family, the case began when a 27-year-old man was taken alive from near his home on June 20. Less than a day later, his mother found him dead at a hospital.
The police force’s own investigation has now concluded that all 11 officers involved warrant departmental proceedings. Whether that leads to criminal prosecution, compensation or broader accountability will depend on Police Headquarters, the courts and any further investigation ordered into the death.
