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Extrajudicial killing in the guise of mob-action

C.R. Abrar
ON February 24 morning, the nation woke up to the news that bullet-ridden bodies of three boys were found in the city's Shewrapara area of Mirpur. All were aged between 15 and 17 years and worked as part-time helpers of drivers of human haulers that plied along that route. All came from poor families. None had any political affiliation but attended programmes of political parties of various persuasions.
The official narrative identified the victims as arsonists who were caught red-handed while preparing to throw petrol bomb on public transport. It said that they were chased to an alley in Baishbari at around 10 pm on the fateful night, and the three were subjected to severe beating and lethal shooting during the melee. The police later took their bodies to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The attending doctor registered the corpses as unidentified' and left the column on 'cause of death' blank (although the column is filled up in cases involving other corpses that were registered).
This account of the incident is in harmony with what those at the helm of affairs of the State and that of the law enforcement agencies want the citizenry to digest and believe. This line of reasoning stems from their contention that politically motivated miscreants and terrorists armed with incendiary devices are looking for an opportunity to disrupt normal life in the city, that active citizens are responding to the agencies' calls for resistance and that their (citizens) taking up law in their own hands, though undesirable, is justifiable, given the war-like situation that currently exists in the country.
As the officials concerned offer their versions on the course of events, as autopsy reports on the dead bodies become available and as testimonies of family members and the people around the vicinity of the occurrence begin to surface, major inadequacies and contradictions in this official narrative have emerged. Application of reason and logic on the facts pieced together would make any discernible observer conclude that claims made by the police are sham and are nothing but attempts
of a botched cover up of extrajudicial killing.
The location from which the boys were apprehended remains contested. While Nisharul Arif, Deputy Commissioner (Mirpur Division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told an English daily that the three were apprehended from the Manipur High School and College, Sub-Inspector Masud Parvez in his report as investigating officer of the local police station claimed that the three were caught near the Krishibid Bhaban at Rokeya Sharani in Kazipara.
In explaining the circumstances of the occurrence, the Officer in Charge (OC) of the Mirpur Police Station Salahuddin Khan asserted that it was mob action seeking revenge on the alleged petrol bomb throwers that led to their death. He claimed that the victims succumbed to excessive beating of an angry mob and bullet wounds. However, such a claim falls flat when it is weighed against the autopsy report issued by the Dhaka Medical College Hospital authorities. Contradicting the OC's claim, the record clearly stated that no mark of beating was found on the bodies and altogether the three bodies sustained 57 bullet injuries. The body of Robin bore 22 marks, that of Shumon 19, and of Jewel 16.
The OC's claim that an agitated mob lynched the three also proved fictitious. Not a single testimony of the locals backed up his claim. No one in the locality heard any shouting or yelling that are the hallmarks of mob violence. They only heard a torrent of shots that died down quickly. Most reports say that a group of men (estimates ranged from 6-10) were seen taking the three into the alley.
It is interesting to note that, without providing any evidence, the police tried to demonise the victims as 'professional nashokotakari' (saboteurs), a claim denied by the members of their families. The statement of a police officer preferring anonymity, quoted in a leading Bangla daily in its February 25 edition, amply demonstrates the mindset of at least some members of the agency: "Although young in age, they (the victims) were very aggressive... they could do anything for money. Even if anyone had killed them you (the media) should support the act." Relatives maintained
that no case had ever been filed against them.
Although the police failed to identify the individuals who used firearms to kill the three, they confidently noted that the users of such arms had valid licenses. This was a clear case of self-defense and that of venting of mass anger against the perpetrators of violence, they reckoned. If the police version is to be believed then does not it raise the question whether we have reached a situation where common people freely roam about carrying guns? Is that not a serious indictment on the law enforcement agencies?
News reports highlighted palpable negligence of the authorities in collecting evidence strewn around the crime scene. In the morning following the murders, along with patches of blood on road and walls, journalists found a blood stained nylon cord (presumably used to tie up the hands of the victims) and dozens of bullet shells lying around.
The Mirpur murders have once again laid bare the poor state of affairs that pervades the law enforcement agencies. The inaction and apathy of senior functionaries of law enforcement following the detection of the bodies appear to confirm the apprehension that liquidation of alleged criminals still remains a preferred option, rather than bringing them under the purview of the law. The claims that the deaths occurred due to mob action have proved to be utterly false. The unwillingness of the police to investigate the murders with due diligence only leads one to believe that perhaps the agency has much to lose from a credible investigation.
The Mirpur triple murders are part of a sequence of other extrajudicial killings that have registered a marked increase since early January this year. The incident may have seriously weakened public confidence in the law enforcement agencies. The nation as a whole has to pay dearly if the situation is not immediately redressed. It is about time a credible judicial enquiry is launched and those responsible for this dastardly act are brought to book.
The writer teaches International Relations at the University of Dhaka. He researches and writes on rights and migration Issues.