Staff Reporter :Noted lawyers and civil society leaders on Friday urged the government to form an enquiry commission in line with the Commission of Inquiry Act to ensure punishment of law-enforcing personnel for the loss of leg of Limon Hossain and untold harassment of his family members.They also expressed satisfaction over exemption of Limon Hossain from the charges in a case filed by RAB three years ago saying that exclusion of Limon and his family from such ‘false’ case will bring relief for his family and also in public mind.”Although it was a bit late, the exemption of Limon and his family from such false finally brings relief to his family and people across the country remained concerned over the issue,” Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) said this in a statement on Friday. He also said that TIB is demanding exemplary punishment to the people responsible for the loss of his leg and untold harassment. “Despite being important in ensuring justice, it’s a small initiative. Withdrawal of the case is not enough. The people, responsible directly or indirectly for the loss of his (Limon’s) leg and filing false cases against him must be brought to justice so that the law enforcing agencies never repeat such incidents of violating law and justice,” he said. Iftekharuzzaman urged the government to give financial assistance to Limon and his family until he completes his study and gets a job or work.”As this is an important national issue, the government should form an inquiry commission under the Commission of Inquiry Act,” Dr. Shahdeen Malik told The New Nation yesterday. He said such a commission may be asked to look into the issue of accountability, involvement of any law-enforcing personnel and legal proceedings to be initiated against such personnel and the issue of compensation for Limon.”The government must institute the commission given the very widespread public concern about the issue,” he said, adding, “The government should ensure that it is not a party in all the illegalities and wrongs done against Limon”. Regarding RAB’s wrongdoings, he said, RAB is operating with total impunities implies that there is hardly any rule of law in this country. Limon Hossain, who was shot and maimed by RAB three years and seven months back, came out clean as a Jhalakati court on Thursday exempted him from the charges in a case filed for obstructing law enforcers from discharging their duties. On July 29, 2013, Jhalakati special tribunal-2 judge Kiran Shanker Halder cleared Limon of charges in another case filed under the Arms Act after two and half years of filing the case.Limon’s ordeal began on March 23, 2011, just yards away from his home at Shaturia village in Jhalakathi. As he went to fetch his family cattle from a nearby field, a RAB team shot him point-blank in his left leg, taking him for a notorious criminal it was looking for. The elite force then picked Limon up and sent him to a hospital. On the same day, RAB filed two cases against him — one for possessing arms and another for obstructing law enforcers. Four days after the shooting, Limon’s leg had to be amputated. He now walks on an artificial leg.
