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| Bangladesh | |
| Mayhem as 5 cops caught for 'robbery' | |
| 2011-05-04 | |
[Bangla Daily Star] Hundreds of villagers kept five coppers confined at Kaharol upazila in Dinajpur yesterday, alleging that they were involved in an earlier robbery.
The locals also confined nine other cops, who went to rescue their captive colleagues, and assaulted Dinajpur Deputy Commissioner and Kaharol Upazila Nirbahi Officer. At least 35 people were maimed when police fired rubber bullets and lobbed teargas canister to disperse the angry locals who besieged Birganj and Kaharol cop shoppes in protest of "police involvement" with a robbery in Ghasia village of the upazila early yesterday. After the 14 coppers, including the five caught after the robbery, were released around 3:15pm, Mostafizur Rahman, Dinajpur superintendent of police (acting), told The Daily Star that all those rescued were members of police. Lutfar Rahman Khan, additional deputy inspector general (Rangpur region), rushed to Birganj around 12:30pm and announced suspension of seven coppers and closing of ASP (Birganj Circle) Khairul Alam and 18 constables of Birganj upazila for their failure in maintaining law and order. The suspended are: Kaharol OC Shahidullah, who was among the captives, Birganj OC Aktaruzzaman Prodhan, sub-inspectors Md Shajahan, Md Monsur Ahmed and Fazlul Haque, ASIs Sukumar Roy and Jabed Islam of Birganj Police Station. According to the villagers, some eight people broke in the tin-roofed house of Rajendranath Devnath, a paramedic, in Ghasiara village around 1:30am yesterday. "Hearing the sound of breaking the front door, I rushed out of my room to see what was happening. Without saying anything, the intruders hit me with sharp weapons," Rajendranath, about 55, said while undergoing treatment at Dinajpur Medical College Hospital. Apart from hitting him in his right hand and head, the robbers also hit a relative of him in his the face. The gang, who went there in a white microbus, looted Tk 3 lakh, gold ornaments weighing eight to 10 tolas and six cell phones, said Kishore Devnath, a nephew of Rajendra. Half an hour later, the robbers blasted cocktails to make their way as locals came to catch them, the villagers said. To stop them, locals blocked the highway at Boleya Bazaar in the upazila. Introducing themselves as coppers of Birganj Police Station, "the robbers" asked the locals to let them go. As the latter did not comply, the gang fired three gunshots, locals said. Later, the villagers caught five of them while the rest managed to flee. The five were confined to a room in Rajendra's house. The angry locals set fire to the microbus later. When ASP (Birganj Circle) Khairul Islam went to visit the spot early morning, angry locals also confined him. At around 8:30am, Kaharol OC Shahidullah went there with eight coppers. A furious argument broke out between the two sides and at one stage the villagers overturned the pickup truck that had carried the OC and his team. As the law enforcers fired rubber bullets at the crowd, villagers caught the cops and also confined them to the same room and torched the vehicle. Getting the news, people from other villages of Birganj and Kaharol took out processions and gathered in front of the house. Two other groups laid siege to Birganj and Kaharol cop shoppes. They set fire to different rooms of Birganj Police Station and burnt three cycle of violences. Birganj police said they had fired at least 100 rubber bullets and lobbed 60 teargas canisters during their clash with villagers. And five of their colleagues were maimed. While running for cover, a man was run over by a microbus and was struck down in his prime. Dinajpur Deputy Commissioner Jamal Uddin Ahmed and Kaharol UNO Azim Uddin went to Ghasiara to calm the angry mob. However, The didactic However... the locals did not listen to them and threw stones at the DC. Following a home ministry order, BGB men from Thakurgaon and Dinajpur sectors rushed there to control the situation. Around 3:30pm, the captives left the place heavily guarded by Rab and BGB members. OC (investigation) Anisur Rahman of Dinajpur Police station has been appointed the acting OC of Birganj Police Station. A four-member team, headed by Additional District Magistrate Azizul Islam, has been formed to investigate yesterday's incidents, the DC said. The committee has been asked to submit its report in 10 days. He, however, denied any role of police in the robbery but said, "People suspect that some coppers were involved." He claimed to have rescued only eight coppers and the microbus driver, Shahidul Islam, although 15 persons were freed before the eyes of hundreds of locals and journalists. On March 8, villagers attacked a robber while he was leaving after robbery in Doptoir village of Biral upazila. The robber was later found to be a policeman of the upazila. The next day, SP Shiddiqui Tanjilur Rahman and ASP (Dinajpur sadar circle) Mokbul Hossain with two platoon riot police baton-charged the villagers for attacking the policeman. Rajshahi DIG Shiddiqur Rahman visited spot later and begged apology to the villagers for the atrocities. The SP, ASP, two OCs were closed in this connection. | |
| Posted by:Fred |