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Police firing kills 5

Cops go marauding as mob lays siege to Companiganj Police Station after a robbery; 50 injured

OUR CORRESPONDENT, Noakhali
At least five people were killed and more than 50 injured when police opened fire on a mob who were demonstrating on the Companiganj Police Station premises to protest a robbery at Bashurhat Bazar yesterday.
Five seriously injured with bullets were admitted to Noakhali General Hospital while others to different local hospitals and clinics.
Police fired at least 150 gunshots to disperse the agitating people who fought with the law enforcers for several hours. A number of policemen were also injured during the clash.
Officer-in-charge of the police station was closed after the incident. Police and locals said a group of 15-20 armed robbers boarding a microbus stormed a jewellery shop, Haji & Sons, at Bashurhat Bazar around 2:00am yesterday and looted 325 tolas of gold and Tk 15 lakh in cash.
Locals and owner of the shop alleged that the police, despite being informed, were late in reaching the spot, hardly 200 yards from the police station. The robbers fled the scene before the police force reached there.
Protesting the police inaction, the traders enforced a day-long strike at Bashurhat Bazar and several hundred traders and locals staged demonstration in front of the Upazila Parishad
and the police station at about 9:00am.
The police on their way back from the spot charged baton on the protesters that prompted the mob to throw brickbats at the law enforcers.
At one point, the police opened fire on the mob, leaving Firoz Alam, 22, Bidhan Chandra, 30, Babul Bhowmik, 32, Sohel, 22, and Alauddin, 18, killed on the spot. Severely injured Subhash Dey was sent to Dhaka.
Besides, bullet-wounded Swapan, 22, Belayet, 35, Shankar, 19, Imam of local mosque Mizanur Rahman, 35, and rickshawpuller Deen Mohammad were admitted to Noakhali General Hospital in a critical condition.
Police concealed the bodies of Bidhan and Sohel inside the police station until 3:00pm and later sent those to Noakhali General Hospital at the directive of higher authorities.
The injured police members including Sub-Inspector Aminur Rasul, Fakrul Alam and Humayun took first aid.
OC of Companiganj Police Station Ayub Hossain, admitted to having fired 150 rounds of bullets to disperse the agitated people. He said the protesters also fired 500 rounds of bullets on the police force, which the locals denied.
Additional police have been deployed at Bashurhat Bazar.
Deputy Commissioner of Noakhali Shahadat Hossain Majumder said the OC of the police station was withdrawn after the incident. He said disciplinary actions would be taken if any police personnel were found guilty.
The district administration formed a three-member judicial enquiry committee, headed by the additional district magistrate, to probe the incident. Another probe body was formed with additional superintendent of police of the district as its chief.
General Secretary of Basurhat Traders Association Aftab Ahmed Bachchu demanded punitive action against all officers of the police station.
Tajuddin Shahin, owner of the jewellery shop Haji & Sons, told reporters that he had informed the OC on time about the robbery. “But, the OC did not take any step,” he said adding, “Had the police been prompt, the robbers could be arrested.”
Locals told this correspondent that there were robberies in a number of jewellery shops in the Bashurhat Bazar in recent time, but the police were inactive.
Police filed a case in this connection accusing several thousand unidentified people.
Meanwhile, Awami League Joint General Secretary Obaidul Kader in a statement expressed grave concern over the police firing which killed five people at Companiganj.
“The police started to fire and charge baton fiercely on the agitating businessmen and general people when they went to Companiganj Police Station for registering their peaceful protest against the police inaction about robberies,” he added.