Cuffs off Bangladesh child suspect

The High Court ruled the use of handcuffs unlawful

By David Chazan in Dhaka

A court in Bangladesh has ordered police to unchain a 12-year-old boy who has been handcuffed to his hospital bed because he is suspected of pickpocketing.

Human rights lawyers are hoping the case will call into question the practice of placing children in police custody, which is common in Bangladesh.

The 12-year-old had been beaten when police took him into custody.

Newspaper reports said he was injured when he was caught up in a violent political demonstration.

The police, however, maintained that he was a pickpocket who had been attacked by his indignant victims.

Outcry

The human rights lawyers who brought his case before the High Court in the capital, Dhaka, want to challenge the use of handcuffs by police, which they say is often unjustified.

They are also hoping the boy's predicament will encourage courts to challenge the general principle of the detention of childen in police custody.

Police are allowed to lock up children for their own safety, although several deaths in police cells have caused a public outcry.

Police have faced accusations of murder, rape and bribe-taking which has made them deeply unpopular.

There is a general perception in Bangladesh that crime is rising despite tough new security laws.