A Santal worker was allegedly beaten over an accusation of stealing a welding machine and later found dead at a brick kiln in Bogura Sadar upazila.
Police recovered the body of Ripon Murmu, 27, from an abandoned room at Duke’s brick kiln in Chanpara area of Lahiripara Union around noon on Saturday.
Ripon was the son of Mosej Murmu of Belowa Bamunpara village in Ghoraghat upazila of Dinajpur.
He had been working at the brick kiln in Chanpara for some time. He also worked as a night guard at a welding workshop owned by local businessman Rezaul Karim.
According to police and the victim’s relatives, a welding machine was stolen from Rezaul’s workshop on Thursday night. The following day, Rezaul and Selim, the son of a former local chairman, held a shalish (informal arbitration meeting) involving Ripon over the incident.
Ripon’s relatives alleged that he was beaten during the meeting. They said a man named Kalu was later identified as being involved in the theft, after which Ripon was assigned the responsibility of locating him and recovering the stolen machine. He was also reportedly asked to pay a fine of Tk20,000.
The relatives claimed that Ripon fell ill after the alleged beating and eventually died.
Rezaul and Selim allegedly arranged an ambulance on Friday night to send Ripon’s body to his village home. However, when family members refused to accept the body, the ambulance driver returned to Bogura with it.
Ambulance driver Siam said he went to the brick kiln area in Chanpara around 9pm on Friday after receiving a phone call from Selim. He was initially told that he would need to transport a sick person. After arriving, he learned that he had been called to carry a body.
Siam said he left for Ghoraghat around 11pm. When he reached the area, Ripon’s relatives refused to accept the body under the circumstances. After staying there for most of the night, he returned to the brick kiln with the body early Saturday morning.
Rabiul Islam, a member of Palsha Union Parishad in Ghoraghat upazila, said he went to Ripon’s home after learning that the body had been brought there during the night.
He said he spoke to several people at Ripon’s workplace in Bogura but found inconsistencies in their accounts. After contacting police in both Bogura and Ghoraghat, he arrived at the brick kiln around 11am on Saturday.
Ripon’s father, Moses Murmu, said he had heard various accounts of the incident but did not know exactly what had happened.
“Everyone at the brick kiln said my son was a good person. After coming to Bogura, I saw injury marks on his eyes, hands and waist,” he said.
He added that the family would file a case after the autopsy.
Bogura Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Ibrahim Ali said local people had beaten Ripon on Friday morning over the allegation of stealing the welding machine. He was later found dead in the abandoned room where he stayed, the officer said.
The body was initially sent to his village home but was subsequently brought back to the brick kiln, he added.
Police prepared an inquest report and sent the body to Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital for an autopsy.
The actual cause of death will be determined after the post-mortem report is received, Ibrahim Ali said.
No one has been detained in connection with the incident so far. Police will investigate and take legal action against those involved if a formal complaint is received, he added.
