A REPORT in a national daily on Tuesday said nine persons out of 15 victims of police shootouts over the past 26 days were innocent people, they were not linked to any political party and yet arrested by law enforcers and fired upon in cold blood. The report identified one of the victims as a day labourer, another a shopkeeper and yet another a mobile toy vendor. Victims also included an expatriate and a university student, among others. Another report on the same day said 19 persons were killed in so-called gunfights during the same period and the law enforcers in their usual verbosity justified the killing saying the victims as terrorists. Police said they died in crossfire while trying to escape during nighttime missions to recover firearms and explosives. In fact, such killing in gunfights is now a regular phenomenon because of political use of police by the government. They are also arresting people at will and coercing bribes to release victims. The police have been given the impression that anything is permissible and they have no accountability.
The human rights bodies both national and international have been showing their anxiety at the extent of police excesses and human rights violation in the country. The other day the IG of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque admitted receipt of complaints that his police are doing arresting business. He assured that he would take action. But we know the limitations when police are asked to use their power politically for suppressing the opposition. Then police are bound to lose service discipline. Who does not know that politics has become business for many. The use of state power for business has become a bad practice and the people are suffering in many ways. We are specially disturbed by bail business and remand business being practiced in our judicial process. Apart from everything else, such conducts on the part of police should be a matter of national concern because police must not be seen as politically abused so that they cannot be trusted as impartial law enforcers.
We are suffering from political lies. But we all especially the security forces have to live together with our children in this country. We have all a responsibility not to make this country unsafe for us to live together.
