A seven-year-old boy lost the index finger of his right hand after a police constable allegedly took him to his home and cut it off following a quarrel between their children in Natore.
Constable Shakil Hossain and his wife, Nasrin Sultana, were arrested early Friday over the incident and produced before a court, which rejected their bail petitions and sent them to jail.
The victim, Bayezid Bin Mahmud, is undergoing treatment at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital after initially being admitted to Natore General Hospital.
The incident followed a family picnic on Wednesday night at Chairman Road in the Baro Harishpur area of Natore city, organised by Bayezid’s family and their tenant, Shakil.
During the gathering, Shakil’s four-year-old daughter and Bayezid got into a scuffle. The matter was later settled through a family discussion, locals said.
But the dispute allegedly resurfaced the following day.
According to Bayezid’s relatives, Shakil returned home from duty and took the boy to his house. There, with the help of his wife, he allegedly placed Bayezid’s hand on the leg of a bed and severed his index finger with a sharp boti, a traditional curved cutting blade.
The boy’s screams brought neighbours to the house, following which Shakil and his wife allegedly fled.
Mansur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, said police were taking the allegation seriously.
He said Shakil had filed a complaint alleging that his daughter had been sexually abused. However, police found no evidence to substantiate the allegation, the OC said.
Bayezid’s father, Mahmud Milon, alleged that Shakil and his wife dragged the child from their home to theirs.
“When my wife and another child tried to stop them, they were assaulted,” he said.
However, Shakil’s sister-in-law, Mimi Akhter, claimed that the constable and his wife had been framed.
Rajshahi Medical College Hospital spokesperson Dr Shamim Ahmed said, “The boy’s physical condition is now much better than before. However, the severed finger was so badly detached that it was not in a condition that would allow it to be reattached.”
