HC orders judicial probe into lawyer's death in jail

The High Court (HC) has ordered a probe into the death of lawyer Polash Kumar Rai in jail, report agencies.

The lawyer died after being burnt in Panchagarh jail.

Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil issued the order after hearing a petition filed by lawyer Syed Sayedul Haque Sumon on Wednesday.

The order called for a judicial inquiry into the incident by a magistrate under the supervision of Panchagarh's chief judicial magistrate.

They are required to submit a report within 30 days of receiving the order.

The court said an investigation is required to determine whether Polash attempted to end his own life or if there were any other causes behind the incident.

According to the court, a jail should typically be among the most secure places around. The probe should, therefore, reveal how it was possible to get kerosene or petrol inside it and then used to set fire to a person.

The next hearing of the petition has been scheduled for June 23.

Polash (36) was a member of the Dhaka Bar Association and had formerly worked in the legal department of Kohinoor Chemical Company Limited. In 2016, he was accused in a case for embezzling Tk 3.1 million from the company.

Polash and his family members staged a hunger strike in front of Panchagarh Deputy Commissioner's Office on March 25 to demand the withdrawal of that case. They later formed a human chain on the highway adjoining the district town's Sher-e-Bangla Park.

Sadar Police subsequently arrested him there on allegation that he had berated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the administration and the police while speaking into a microphone.