Police have pressed charges against four former officers and eight teens for the murder of three children at Jashore Child Development Centre on August 13 last year.

The accused are: former caretaker (assistant director) Abdullah Al Masood, suspended assistant superintendent (probation officer) Masum Billah, and Physical Instructor AKM Shahanur Alam and Psycho Social Counselor Mushfiqur Rahman.

The Charge sheet was submitted on Friday.

Investigating officer Inspector Rokibuzzaman said four teen inmates were found to be above 18 years of age when the incident happened. They have been charged to be tried as adults.

He said the other four teens accused would be tried in a juvenile court. 

The Daily Star is withholding the names of all the accused teens.

The inspector said that they did not find any evidence that Omar Farooq, a former technical trainer (welding) of Jashore Child Development Center, was involved in the killings. He was dropped from charge sheet.

On August 13, 2020, 17 teenage inmates of Jashore Child Development  Center were brutally tortured for beating up Chief Guard Nur Islam.

Three of them died after the torture.

The deceased were: Naeem Hossain, 15, son of Nannu Paramanik of Talibpur Purbapara in Shibganj, Bogura; Parvez Hasan Rabbi, 16, son of Roka Miah of Maheshwarpasha Senpara in Daulatpur, Khulna; and Russell Hossain, 16, son of Nurul Islam of Mahipur in Sherpur, Bogura.

Roka Mia, father of Rabbi filed the case with Jashore Kotwali Police Station.

The injured inmates, who had also been through similar abuse, reportedly said that they, including the deceased, were tortured in two phases from noon to evening on August 13 as "punishment" for their involvement in a scuffle with the head guard of the centre.