Two suspects in the double-murder of Cumilla City Corporation Ward Councillor Syed Md Sohel and his associate Haripada Saha died in a “gunfight” with the police in the wee hours of Tuesday. The victims were identified as Sabbir Hossain, 28, and Shajon, 32. They were listed as suspects in the case documents prepared by the police. Like other “gunfights”, the police statement in this specific incident was similar. “They opened fire on police without any provocation. Police retaliated in self-defence. Eventually, some of the criminals fled and police found the two of them lying with fatal bullet injuries.”
Whatever the police version is, we find no justification for killing two young suspects in the name of “gunfights” with the police. Some masked assailants attacked and killed the Cumulla Ward 17 Councillor and his associate on November 22. Four others were also injured in the attack. Sohel was locally very popular and a two-time elected councillor of the Ward. He was a member of a mayoral panel for a second time. So in every consideration, the double murder was very dangerously unwarranted and it was police’s duty to unearth the motive behind the heinous crime. What is too astonishing is that – police are not yet clear how the murder plan was executed, and have failed to nab everyone directly involved in the killing mission. Rather, they have chosen the shortcut method which could give an escape route for the perpetrators.
In May this year, two suspects were killed in separate ‘gunfights’ with RAB and police in capital’s Pallabi area in connection with the Shahinuddin murder case. Another alleged robber, who was accused of killing cattle-laden truck driver Abdur Rahman, was killed in “gunfight” on August 7. There are so many incidents of “gunfights” where law enforcers did not show any interest to be reasonably sure about criminals after investigation. When police with gun chase who will not run for safety.
After an uproar over the killing of Major (retd) Sinha Md Rashed Khan at a Teknaf checkpoint in Cox’s Bazar in August last year, it was believed that such killings would not be taken easily.
Please hold a genuine investigation into the double murder for police discipline and social safety. Do not make social safety a personal gun affair.
