A tense situation is prevailing over the Golambazar, Chulkatha, Kaliganj and Khajur Bagh areas.

Bashir's family meanwhile alleged police and cadres of the ruling BNP's student wing are trying to put down the bid to seek justice for the victim apparently beaten dead by cops.

"Some locals approached us in the morning today (yesterday) and warned of dire consequences if we file murder case against police," Bashir's daughter Sajeda Begum said.

Refusing to disclose the identity of intimidators for fear of their lives, the family members only said they are cadres of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) and policemen.

Witnesses said police at Golambazaar outpost first struck Bashir on the neck with rifle butt and then kicked him in the abdomen as the 65-year-old refused to pay Tk 5,000 in bribe for release of his son Khalil, who was arrested on Monday for beating up a rickshawpuller.

Bashir, who fell unconscious with the beating, was taken to Mitford Hospital where doctors declared him dead.

Sajeda also alleged police forced her mother Chanburu to give signature on a white paper saying it would be required for filing a murder case. The police record, however, showed that Chanburu filed an Unnatural Death case.

As the news of death spread, locals attacked the camp, prompting police to fire shots to disperse the mob.

ABDUCTION CASE QUESTIONABLE

The case register showed that rickshawpuller George Mia filed an abduction case against Khalil and his friends Iqbal, Wahidul, Khaleq and Kamal at a time on Monday when he was in custody along with the five youths.

Police said Khalil kidnapped George on Sunday, a claim that Bashir's family denied claiming that they caught the 'professional thief' on Monday for stealing their rickshaws.

Havilder Saiful Islam, the Golambazar camp chief, yesterday told newsmen that Bashir did never come to the outpost and that he died of cardiac arrest somewhere else.

But Superintendent of Police of the Dhaka district Bakhtiar Alam contradicted the claim of Saiful, telling newsmen at Keraniganj Police Station yesterday that Bashir died at the camp.

He said a departmental inquiry into the incident will be carried out and punitive measure will be taken against the culprits, if any.

The postmortem report has not yet been submitted.

The body of Bashir was sent to his village home at Shariatpur yesterday for burial. "Police did not allow my brother to have a last glimpse of our father," Sajeda said.