A child has finally been released after widespread criticism over a case being filed, and subsequent arrest and being sent to court of a seven-year-old child in the case of the alleged abduction of a four-year-old child at Chattogram city’s Panchlaish Police Station. On Monday, Panchlaish Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Suleman confirmed that the seven-year-old child was released to his father’s custody.
Although according to the Children’s Act, a child under 9 years old cannot be made an accused or arrested, the police filed this case and brought the child “into contact with the law” by violating the law. Later, following the court’s order, he was sent to the Tongi Child Development Centre in Gazipur.
The incident began on April 13 this year. Anwara Begum, a resident of the Railway Station area in the city’s 16 City area, went to Chattogram Medical College Hospital with her elder son when her four-year-old son Rahim went missing from there. Initially, the matter was recorded as a General Diary (GD), but seven months later, last Friday, Anwara Begum filed an abduction case at Panchlaish Police Station.
The case accused the 7-year-old child and his 30-year-old mother. The allegation states that they abducted Rahim “under the pretext of playing”. Shortly after the case was filed, SI Enamul Haque showed the arrest of the seven-year-old child and his mother.
Lawyers claim that the entire process was done in violation of the Children’s Act 2013. Public prosector of Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-7, Shafiul Morshed, stated that arresting or filing a case against any child under 9 years old is illegal.
The child was shown as arrested, assuming his age to be 7 years without verifying the birth registration. After the arrest, as there was no regular court proceeding during the recess period, and the child was not even presented in the courtroom. Based on a warrant, he was sent to the child development centre, and the child’s mother sent to jail.
When the state brought the matter to the court’s notice, a bail application was filed for the child on Sunday. Later, Judge Md Hasanul Islam, citing Section 44(1) of the Children’s Act 2013, mentioned that arresting a child under 9 years old is illegal. Therefore, the court ordered the child to be released in his father’s custody.
The child’s father complained, “I don’t understand why my wife and seven-year-old child have been made accused in an incident that happened seven months ago. The police, by taking money from the plaintiff, have framed my son.”
When asked about this, Assistant Commissioner of the city police’s media branch, Aminur Rashid, and Panchlaish Police Station’s OC, Mohammad Suleman, confirmed to TIMES of Bangladesh on Monday that the seven-year-old child is now free and is in his father’s custody.
