TBM Report
The High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh has directed the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to disburse BDT 2,00,000 as interim compensation to Shahadat Hossain Shyamal, a young man shot in the leg by patrol police. The bench, comprising Justice Khizir Ahmed Choudhury and Justice Md. Ziaul Hoque, issued the mandate on Wednesday following a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the prominent human rights group, Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK). The court also issued a rule nisi asking the state administration why it should not be ordered to pay a definitive punitive damage of BDT 5 crore to the victim for gross violation of civil liberties.
The legal action traces back to an incident on March 14, 2019, at a police checkpoint in the Kamarkanda area under Sirajdikhan Sub-district of Munshiganj. According to the writ petition, Shyamal and his friends were traveling via motorcycle from Keraniganj when patrol officers signaled them to pull over. Despite compliance with the speed restrictions and traffic signs, a police officer allegedly discharged his firearm at point-blank range, severely shattering Shyamal’s leg. While local police administration subsequently issued an official apology characterizing the discharge as an “unintentional technical accident,” the systemic damage to the citizen’s physical integrity remained unaddressed.
In an apparent attempt to insulate the force from institutional liability, the Sirajdikhan police filed a retaliatory criminal case against the victim and his companions the following day. The law enforcement agency accused the youths of dangerous driving, defying regulatory stops, and obstructing public servants from executing their duties. Seeking judicial intervention against the malicious prosecution, ASK compiled extensive investigative features from leading national dailies to build a robust constitutional challenge against state-sponsored violence. Advocate Md. Shahinuzzaman moved the petition successfully before the bench.
Currently 24 years old, Shahadat Hossain Shyamal endures permanent physical impairment, working under constrained capacities as an appliance technician at his brother’s refrigerator repair shop in Keraniganj. Legal scholars view this high court directive as a groundbreaking precedent in establishing accountability for law enforcement agencies regarding extrajudicial use of force. The state apparatus has been ordered to submit a formal compliance report concerning the financial disbursement within the next thirty days, marking a substantive victory for constitutional tort claims in Bangladesh.
 to disburse BDT 2,00,000 as interim compensation to Shahadat Hossain Shyamal, a young man shot in the leg by patrol police. The bench, comprising Justice Khizir Ahmed Choudhury and Justice Md. Ziaul Hoque, issued the mandate on Wednesday following a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the prominent human rights group, Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK). The court also issued a rule nisi asking the state administration why it should not be ordered to pay a definitive punitive damage of BDT 5 crore to the victim for gross violation of civil liberties.){kind=link}