[Bangla Daily Star] For the first time in the country's history, a court yesterday sent the officer-in-charge and 10 other policemen of Singra Police Station to jail on charge of killing a youth in "crossfire".You mean "crossfires" aren't real? I'm shocked, shocked I tell you!
| Please to note. The ones doing this "crossfire" were policemen, and not the famed officers of the Rab. And so this is no reflection on what the Rab men do so successfully on many moonless nights, when we must all be amazed that only the very guilty are hit during the crossfires, but not the miscreants' fellows or the retired informant, Mahmoud the Weasel. |
District and Sessions Judge Abdul Majid passed the order after rejecting the bail prayers of the then OC Abu Bakar, two sub-inspectors, an assistant sub-inspector and seven constables.
Earlier on August 27 last year, Rajab Ali of Singra upazila filed a complaint with the Court of Additional Chief Magistrate, Natore accusing the police of picking up his son Ansar Ali from his house and killing him in the name of crossfire.
After hearing, the court instituted a judicial enquiry under judicial magistrate Mahmudul Hasan. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Natore Mohammad Akhteruzzaman on May 10 issued arrest warrants against the 12 policemen and seven others in this connection.
After the judiciary enquiry into the death of Ansar Ali, Mahmudul Hasan in his report said ASI Jasim Uddin filed a murder case on July 23, 2008. Jasim in that case stated that a band of robbers including Ansar Ali opened fire on a police patrol team in Kakian forest, prompting the law enforcers to retaliate. Ansar was killed in "crossfire" during the shootout, the police claimed.
"..and his cadre escaped into the forest leaving not a trace."
The enquiry report says Ansar was actually killed in police custody and his body was dumped in the Kakian forest.
Yeah, that's pretty much how we figured it happens
| The thing is, the Rab take their crossfire victims to Dr. Jekyll or one of his highly qualified colleagues for confirmation of the cause of death, so comforting to the grieving mother. Perhaps the police should keep their own surgeon on staff for such eventualities. |
"It is a good example of steps against the extrajudicial killings," rights activist Sultana Kamal told The Daily Star. "Now the important thing is how transparently the government deals with the charge," she added.
President of Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh Advocate Manzill Murshid said, "This is for the very first time that a court sent law enforcers to jail in a crossfire case." He observed the recent HC directives and observations against extrajudicial killings have made a great impact on every sector including the lower courts. Following the Natore court order, the family of the victims of extrajudicial killings will be encouraged to take legal steps against the law enforcers involved in such incidents, Manzill added.
The other cops accused in the case are SIs Prodyut Kar and Liakat Ali, ASI Jasim Uddin, constables Asir Uddin, Ansar Hossain, Abul Kassem, Anwar Hossain, Mofiz Uddin, Hafizur Rahman and Adhir Chandra.
We'll see if they really mean this crackdown when they bring up the RAB on charges.