No action before investigation completion

TDS Desk

There have been several murder cases since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime on August 5 where inconsistencies have been noted – multiple cases have been filed for the same killing, and the number of accused has increased even without the plaintiff’s consent.

Some people have complained of harassment under the pretext of police arresting suspects.

These cases have come under scrutiny, as seemingly innocent individuals have been accused without the plaintiff’s knowledge.

The police have said no one will be harassed before investigations are completed. Officers have also been directed to carefully review cases before registering them.

However, inconsistencies are still appearing in some cases.

Experts believe that the public has the right to file cases over student and public killings during recent protests. However, if individuals are implicated with malicious intent or for harassment, they say these cases can become questionable.

From the start of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, ZI Khan Panna, senior Supreme Court lawyer and chairperson of the human rights organization Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), was involved in the legal struggle for students’ legitimate demands and against their leaders’ arrests.

Yet, he was named in an attempted murder case, even though the plaintiff, Mohammad Baker, a 52-year-old vegetable vendor in the Banasree area, said he did not know the accused.

Baker filed the case, in connection with an attempt to kill his son Ahadul Islam, 25, by shooting, at Khilgaon police station on October 17, naming Panna as an accused.

Baker later clarified that he did not know how Panna’s name had appeared in the list of accused and requested the police to relieve the lawyer from the case.

TWO CASES OVER SAME KILLING

On August 4, during the protests, eighth-grader Abdul Motalib, 14, from Moneshwar Govt Primary School, was shot and killed in Jigatola, Dhaka.

His father, Abdul Matin, filed a murder case at Dhanmondi police station on August 26. Later, on August 30, Hazaribagh police registered another murder case per court orders, filed by one Sheikh Md Masum Billah, who listed the victim’s name as Abdul Motaleb Munna, aged 12.

The victim had no connection to the plaintiff, and while Motalib was from Begumganj, Noakhali, Masum hails from Ulipur, Kurigram.

Matin’s complaint named 177 accused, including former minister Shajahan Khan, later arrested by the police.

In contrast, Masum’s complaint named 20 people, none of whom are residents of the area in question and most are not involved in politics.

Hazaribagh police station Officer-in-Charge Md Saiful Islam said: “We registered the case following court instructions, unaware of an earlier case. We later called the victim’s father here, who also knew nothing about the second case, nor did he know Masum Billah, the plaintiff.”

“This is still under investigation, and only one case will proceed. The suspects from the Hazaribagh case will be added to the case filed in Dhanmondi. The court will then decide who is guilty or innocent.”

PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT REGION ACCUSED

Another example is a case filed over the death of Mirajul Islam, 21, killed in police firing on August 5 on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway.

His father, Abdus Salam, filed the murder case at Jatrabari police station on August 28, accusing 40 people, all from his home district of Lalmonirhat, most of whom are associated with the Awami League, as well as 300 unnamed individuals.

Salam, who is a CNG-run autorickshaw driver, could not justify why so many from his district were on the list of accused but said they were connected to local and national politics.

POLICE PROMISE CAUTION

Muhammad Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media) at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said: “We have said this before and reiterate that no one will be harassed with false cases. Action is taken only after investigations reveal any truth in the accusations.”

If someone filed a false case to harass others, there was a legal option to act against the plaintiff, he added.

Inspector General of Police Md Mainul Islam at an event in Rangpur on Saturday said the police had received reports of dealings over cases, warning that any police officer was involved would face action.

Exploiting people over case filing would ultimately harm the movement against discrimination, he said.