Statistics provided by the Ain O Salish Kendra says a total of 88 people have been killed in "encounters" in the last seven months of this year.
| Since February? What an odd time to start counting. |
, 43 with police, one jointly with RAB and police, five with DB police, two with RAB and BGB, three with coastguards and seven with the joint force.| The collections in the evidence rooms being duly polished by the newest recruits between usages, one hopes. Though discipline is not what it used to be, in this degenerate age. |
| Those were the days. Rounds of bullet were so brightly polished the sun's reflection alone could be sued to start fires, and the RAB men were busily responding to Mahmoud the Weasel's nightly phone calls. How the little Weasels thrived in those days -- piano lessons and dowries for the girls, education and apprenticeships for the little lads... good times, those were. |
When it came to power such killings did not seize to stop; rather 229 more people became victims of "crossfires" in 2009 alone.
| Quite a fall from the ~370 of the previous years, it must be admitted. |
In a "shootout" with the Detective Branch (DB) of police a youth from the capital's Mugda area Mesbah Uddin Tarek alias Masud, 25, was killed last Sunday.
DB police, however, claimed that the victim was an illegal arms trader of Kadamtoli and Matuail areas of the capital. But there had been no case or general diary filed against Masud.
Even local people of Mugda area and family members are clueless as to why DB police picked him as he was known as a gentleman.
Abu Jafor Shikdar, the victim's father, told the Dhaka Tribune that a team of DB police picked up Masud on Saturday night around 3.00pm.
"When we contacted DB police they told us to go to police. As we went to police they asked us to go to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. We finally found Masud's dead body at the DMCH"
| "He's dead, Jim." |
Just a day after the shootout, Moghbazar triple murder prime suspect Kailla Babu was killed in another "shootout."
On August 8, a youth named Rajib Hossain was killed in crossfire with DB police in the capital's Hatirjheel area. Police, soon after the incident, claimed that Rajib was prime suspect in the retired police official Fazlul Karim murder -- a claim which the family denied.
In defence of such incidents the Joint commissioner said police fired shots in self defence. "Even police personnel get injured in such shootouts."
| Mostly stubbed toes and splinters, it must be admitted, but there is the occasional bitten tongue. |
The incidents of extra-judicial killings were on the decline after 2006 and it came down to 91 in 2012. According to Ain O Shalish Kendra, 210 people were killed in 2004; 377 in 2005; 362 in 2006, 180 in 2007, 175 in 2008, 133 in 2010, 100 in 2011. In 2013 "crossfire" was coined as "shootout" when around 208 people were killed.
Dr Mizanur Rahman, chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, said extra judicial killing goes against the rule of law and democracy and it is in no way acceptable.
"Those responsible for such criminal acts must be given capital punishment to stop such practice," he said.