NEWS media reported that police in Chattogram implicated a 60-year man, Samar Krishna Chowdhury, in two cases related to narcotics and arms recovery, after being influenced by a local expatriate man. Luckily, the sexagenarian escaped the sure death in crossfire, alias firing by law enforcers without trial, as his family was successful in involving high officials. The extra-judicial killing spree of narcotics traders and peddlers across the country by police is ongoing but they are bypassing kingpins who remain safe but are making many innocent people victims. As of Thursday, at least 132 people were killed by police shootouts in the ongoing drive violating the constitutional rights of citizens.
Plainclothes men picked up Samar, who works as an assistant to lawyers in the Judge’s Court of Chattogram, from the city’s Hawkers’ Market area on Sunday evening. Family members said plainclothes men seized his cell phone after forcing him into a microbus. He was then brought to Boalkhali Police Station where a local man saw him and informed his family members. Police said Samar was arrested in a case filed against him under the Narcotics Act in March while he was on bail in another case filed over Yaba recovery in November last year. Family members said none is true and alleged that a UK expatriate implicated Samar in these cases in connivance with police.
After abduction, police beat him up and then blindfolded him. On the way, police told someone over phone he was being taken to Charandwip Canal for the operation but after a while, the police man received some phone calls and asked the driver of the vehicle to change the direction towards Samar’s house. He said it was not possible to go for the ‘operation as he has received calls from his seniors. The victim’s daughter said there were injury marks on Samar’s chest and back and he feared more internal injuries from torture. About a possible crossfire, the OC of Boalkhali Police Station said he did not know about the operation.
The ongoing anti-narcotics drive which so far killed 132 men denied of their rights of self-defense as per the Constitution is a sharp violation of human rights. Such extra-judicial murders would not end drug peddling until the kingpins are not caught. When law enforcers get the power to kill others they must be careful in implicating innocent people.
We disapprove killing in crossfire and demand due process of law must be at work to give opportunity of fair trial to suspects.
Plainclothes men picked up Samar, who works as an assistant to lawyers in the Judge’s Court of Chattogram, from the city’s Hawkers’ Market area on Sunday evening. Family members said plainclothes men seized his cell phone after forcing him into a microbus. He was then brought to Boalkhali Police Station where a local man saw him and informed his family members. Police said Samar was arrested in a case filed against him under the Narcotics Act in March while he was on bail in another case filed over Yaba recovery in November last year. Family members said none is true and alleged that a UK expatriate implicated Samar in these cases in connivance with police.
After abduction, police beat him up and then blindfolded him. On the way, police told someone over phone he was being taken to Charandwip Canal for the operation but after a while, the police man received some phone calls and asked the driver of the vehicle to change the direction towards Samar’s house. He said it was not possible to go for the ‘operation as he has received calls from his seniors. The victim’s daughter said there were injury marks on Samar’s chest and back and he feared more internal injuries from torture. About a possible crossfire, the OC of Boalkhali Police Station said he did not know about the operation.
The ongoing anti-narcotics drive which so far killed 132 men denied of their rights of self-defense as per the Constitution is a sharp violation of human rights. Such extra-judicial murders would not end drug peddling until the kingpins are not caught. When law enforcers get the power to kill others they must be careful in implicating innocent people.
We disapprove killing in crossfire and demand due process of law must be at work to give opportunity of fair trial to suspects.
