Md. Masud Rana, Ramgarh (Khagrachari)

Humanitarian and legal questions have been raised over the indictment of a 15-year-old child in a mobile phone theft case in Ramgarh Upazila of Khagrachhari district.

A 15-year-old boy cries and says, "I didn't steal." The boy's family claims that he was not involved in the theft; rather, he was framed for selling a mobile phone without the knowledge of the real accused. They are demanding an impartial investigation into the incident and the boy's release.

The child's father, Abul Kasem, said his son was never involved in the mobile phone theft. According to the family, the real accused told the child that the mobile phone belonged to his aunt and that he had to sell it. Believing that, the child went to the shop with him, but he did not know that the mobile phone was stolen.

The family alleges that after the incident, Ramgarh Police Station OC Nazir Alam did not pay any attention to the child's statement and charged him in a case filed under sections 380, 411 and 34. Although the child's age was 15 on the birth certificate, the OC showed him as 16 in the case.

The family also alleged that the child was taken to the Khagrachari court in handcuffs. Later, as there was no juvenile detention facility in Khagrachari, he was sent to the Gazipur juvenile detention center.

The child's father also claimed that during the detention operation, a local journalist asked to know the identity of the plainclothes policemen, which led to an argument between the journalist and the police. The journalist later published the matter on Facebook. The family alleged that the officer-in-charge of Ramgarh Police Station, Nazir Alam, got angry over the incident and filed a case against the child out of revenge.

Although there is a rule to inform the social services officer when a child is to be detained, the OC detained the child without informing him and kept the child in the police station for a long time.

The child's family says that an impartial investigation is necessary, taking into account the future and mental development of a minor child. They demand that the child be released immediately if the real culprit is identified and found innocent.

On the other hand, Ramgarh Police Station OC Nazir Alam said that the child confessed to stealing the mobile phone during interrogation, and therefore he has also been made an accused.

Local residents demand that special precautions be taken in the investigation and trial process in cases involving children. They have demanded a fair investigation into the entire matter and the release of the child, claiming his innocence.