RECKLESS DRIVING BY EX-MP’S NEPHEW : Govt asked to explain inaction

The High Court on Tuesday asked the government and the police to explain their inaction in initiating proceedings against the nephew of former Awami League MP whose reckless driving injured four people at Gulshan on October 12.
The court also asked the police why they should not be directed to take action against Fareez Rahman after holding investigation into his reckless driving for which his sports utility vehicle hit two rickshaws and a pole on Road 74 at Gulshan leaving two rickshaw-pullers, a passenger and a pedestrian injured.
The police impounded the SUV but escorted inebriated Fareez to his residence.
Gulshan police station officer-in-charge Sirajul Islam later told reporters that they did not file a case of reckless driving against the nephew of former MP HBM Iqbal, after the victims submitted written statements to the police that they would not file any case.
The court also asked the government to explain why the inaction of the police in initiating proceedings against Fareez for reckless driver should not be declared ‘unlawful’.
It also asked the government to explain why department action would not taken against Gulshan police station’s OC for neglecting his duty of recording a case of reckless driving against the offender, and arresting and producing him before the court.
The vacation bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir issued the rule after hearing a public interest litigation writ petition filed by six Supreme Court lawyers.
The respondents, the secretary of home ministry, the inspector general of police, Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner, DMP additional commissioner (traffic), DMP additional commissioner (investigation) and officer-in-charge of Gulshan police were asked to submit replies to the rule in two weeks.
The petitioners included Md Omar Farouq, KH Bahar Rumy, Mahfuz-Bin-Yousuf, Shamim Ara, Najmul Khondkaer  and SM Aslam.
Appearing for the petitioners, Aneek R Haque submitted that the police took no action against Fareez Rahman as his family wields political influence.
The police neglected their statutory duty to arrest the reckless driver and produced him before court within 24 hours, he submitted.
He said that the police also neglected their duty to file a first information report against Fareez for injuring four people with his reckless driving.
The police also neglected their duty of holding investigation into the episode by treating the offence as ‘non-cognizable’.

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