Sagar Biswas :
The Police Headquarters have conveyed “concern” to the United States law enforcement authorities over the recent killings of four Bangladeshi nationals in a span of only six weeks.
The Bangladeshi community staying in the US has categorically termed the incidents as “hate crimes”.
In the latest incident, a Bangladeshi citizen Mohammad Abul Kalam, 55, was shot and killed in Los Angeles [Saturday midnight local time]. The victim, hailed from Batakandi village under Titas upazila of Comilla district, lived in USA with his wife and son and daughter.
“We’ve already expressed our deep concern to US police authorities over the recent killings. Bangladesh Police usually keeps a contact with US police through formal and informal channels. Our concern has been expressed through these
channels,” Assistant Inspector General of Police [Confidential], Police Headquarters, Md Moniruzzaman told The New Nation on Tuesday.
Earlier in several cases, it was seen that US government had sent investigators, including FBI agents, after such types of incidents on American citizens in Bangladesh.
Elaborating shortcomings of Bangladesh Police, the AIG said: “We’ve no designated unit or official to deal with the international affairs [crimes] where our people are killed or get hurt. And unfortunately, we’re not at that position [like US] to initiate a probe from our side… But we very much need a unit to deal with these matters.”
US media referring CCTV footage reported that Abul Kalam, who was in-charge of a liquor store, was closing up the shop when two masked gunmen, one male and another female, held him up at gunpoint and demanded money. And the gunmen shot him dead as he refused.
Local sources said that Abul Kalam was a Freedom Fighter and he had worked at BTV and the advertising agency Bitopi after the independence. He also resided in Japan for few years before moving to the US.
On August 14, a Muslim Imam of a mosque in New York City Maulana Akonjee, 55, and his associate Tara Uddin, 64, were killed in the Ozone Park neighbourhood of Queens. The victims were both wearing religious garb at the time of shooting. Akonjee was carrying more than $1,000 but the money was not taken, according to the New York Times.
One of the Imam’s seven children Naima Akonjee, 28, told the media that her father did not “have any problems with anyone”. But members of the Bangladeshi community said they want the shootings to be treated as a “hate crime”.
Earlier on September 1, a Bangladeshi expatriate woman Nazma Khanam, 60, was stabbed to death about a bloc and a half away from her home in Queens, New York.
Significantly, the victim’s family believed her death could have been a “hate crime” because she was wearing traditional Muslim clothing when she was stabbed, though the police did not categorized it as such, according to PIX11 News.
Apart from killings, there are several incidents of harassment in the USA and most of them were recorded with the police department.
A reference could be given here where a Bangladeshi man Mujibur Rahman, 43, on a Bronx Street was assaulted by two teenagers when he walked his nine-year-old niece from school on January 16.
The attackers were later arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault and harassment as a “hate crime”, according to the US media.
The Police Headquarters have conveyed “concern” to the United States law enforcement authorities over the recent killings of four Bangladeshi nationals in a span of only six weeks.
The Bangladeshi community staying in the US has categorically termed the incidents as “hate crimes”.
In the latest incident, a Bangladeshi citizen Mohammad Abul Kalam, 55, was shot and killed in Los Angeles [Saturday midnight local time]. The victim, hailed from Batakandi village under Titas upazila of Comilla district, lived in USA with his wife and son and daughter.
“We’ve already expressed our deep concern to US police authorities over the recent killings. Bangladesh Police usually keeps a contact with US police through formal and informal channels. Our concern has been expressed through these
channels,” Assistant Inspector General of Police [Confidential], Police Headquarters, Md Moniruzzaman told The New Nation on Tuesday.
Earlier in several cases, it was seen that US government had sent investigators, including FBI agents, after such types of incidents on American citizens in Bangladesh.
Elaborating shortcomings of Bangladesh Police, the AIG said: “We’ve no designated unit or official to deal with the international affairs [crimes] where our people are killed or get hurt. And unfortunately, we’re not at that position [like US] to initiate a probe from our side… But we very much need a unit to deal with these matters.”
US media referring CCTV footage reported that Abul Kalam, who was in-charge of a liquor store, was closing up the shop when two masked gunmen, one male and another female, held him up at gunpoint and demanded money. And the gunmen shot him dead as he refused.
Local sources said that Abul Kalam was a Freedom Fighter and he had worked at BTV and the advertising agency Bitopi after the independence. He also resided in Japan for few years before moving to the US.
On August 14, a Muslim Imam of a mosque in New York City Maulana Akonjee, 55, and his associate Tara Uddin, 64, were killed in the Ozone Park neighbourhood of Queens. The victims were both wearing religious garb at the time of shooting. Akonjee was carrying more than $1,000 but the money was not taken, according to the New York Times.
One of the Imam’s seven children Naima Akonjee, 28, told the media that her father did not “have any problems with anyone”. But members of the Bangladeshi community said they want the shootings to be treated as a “hate crime”.
Earlier on September 1, a Bangladeshi expatriate woman Nazma Khanam, 60, was stabbed to death about a bloc and a half away from her home in Queens, New York.
Significantly, the victim’s family believed her death could have been a “hate crime” because she was wearing traditional Muslim clothing when she was stabbed, though the police did not categorized it as such, according to PIX11 News.
Apart from killings, there are several incidents of harassment in the USA and most of them were recorded with the police department.
A reference could be given here where a Bangladeshi man Mujibur Rahman, 43, on a Bronx Street was assaulted by two teenagers when he walked his nine-year-old niece from school on January 16.
The attackers were later arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault and harassment as a “hate crime”, according to the US media.
