TWO alleged muggers were killed in a “shootout” between “criminals” and detective police in Motijheel, claimed police. The wife of one of the deceased claimed that there was no shootout and that her husband was most probably picked up by law enforcers the evening before. However, police claimed that they had been looking for Ramzan Ali, who has 93 criminal cases filed against him, and Rakib Hossain Aqmal, the other victim, with six cases filed against him this year. Interestingly, both the victims were associated with the ruling party’s labour wing.
Reportedly, there are contradictions between the police’s claim and the doctors’ statements. According to the case filed in connection with the deaths, the detectives said that they stumbled upon the two while on patrol. It said the deceased muggers along with a gang of five to six people were waiting to ambush people in front of T&T School and College in Motijheel around 2:45am. In the words of the detectives, the criminals started firing at police and the law enforcers retaliated. Ramzan and Aqmal were killed by the criminals’ gunfire during the shootout, the case statement read.
However, reports have it that eye witnesses from Dhaka Medical College morgue said the two had been shot in the head and chest from the front at close range, not from behind. They said the duo were shot 10 times and five of the bullets fired from two guns were still lodged in the bodies. Moreover, Ramzan’s wife Nusrat Jahan Jharna told media that she suspected that her husband had been picked up the evening before and then murdered. She further said that several individuals claiming to be detective police had come to their home on the night of June 24 looking for her husband. Ramzan’s wife also alleged that her husband might have been killed because of a feud with a leader of Sramik League, a pocket organization of ruling Awami League of which her husband was himself a leader.
What appears from all these statements and stories is another episode of the saga of “crossfire” by law enforcing agencies. As of 16th of April of the current year, Ain -O- Shalish Kendra (ASK) – a human rights organization has reported that 54 people were killed by “crossfire”, 33 without arrest and 21 in custody by law enforcing agencies. ASK also reported 179 extra judicial killings by law enforcement agencies in 2013. Recently the gruesome kidnap and murder and dumping of bodies of seven Awami League leaders including Narayanganj City Corporation panel mayor Nazrul Islam last month sent a wave of panic across Bangladesh. But, as identical events continue to unfold, apparently, the extra judicial killing spree is nowhere at an end. If the horrific 7 murders and subsequent reactions across the nation cannot wake up the people in power we don’t know what can. In the previous incidents, the victims of such ‘forced disappearances’ and ‘crossfire kills’ were mostly opposition political party activists. Now, one after another ruling party men are being killed in the same fashion. This must be stopped or else these irregularities will become the norm.
Crossfire killing by police must stop unless we want to encourage political killings for political enmity. The country is filling with killers and killings as if saving people’s life is not the responsibility of the law enforcing agencies.
