N’GANJ 7 KILLING: 25 RAB men, 10 others indicted Court issues warrant against 13 fugitives.

A judicial magistrate court in Narayanganj on Wednesday indicted 35 people, including 25 officers and rankers of Rabid Action Battalion, for the killings of seven people after abduction in Narayanganj in April 2014. Before the indictment, the senior judicial magistrate, Md Saiduzzaman Sharif, also rejected a petition filed by one of the complaints, Selina Islam Beauty, that sought further investigation. The court indicted the 22 accused present on the dock while issued arrest warrants against 13 others, including eight then RAB personnel, in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure. After the indictment, the court set August 9 for hearing on the implementation of the arrest order and to decide further course of action. The complainant, Selina, said they would challenge the court order relating to the rejection of her application seeking further investigation. On May 11, Selina, who was elected as Narayanganj city councillor after the killing of her councillor husband Nazrul Islam, among the seven, had filed the application alleging that many ‘plotters’ and persons with ‘indirect involvement’ in the killing were not uncovered through the investigation. ‘We will move to the High Court,’ she said. On Wednesday, the police produced 32 people including 10 that were not indicted, on the dock, amid tight security. Her lawyer Shakhawat Hossain said ‘we were denied justice.’ The district court additional public prosecutor KM Fazlur Rahman said one of the complainants, Bijoy Kumar Pal, had not raised any objection over the investigation, allowing the court to accept the charge sheet. About the investigation, the Narayanganj police superintendent Kh Mahid Uddin claimed ‘none were implicated without any evidence and no one with any involvement were excluded.’ Earlier on April 9, the police submitted two charge sheets accusing the 35 people for the killings, which triggered huge protests in Narayanganj. The 35 accused include detained the then RAB-11 commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Tareque Sayeed Mohammad, also son-in-law of cabinet member Mufazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, the then RAB-11 special company commander Major Arif Hossain, the then RAB-11 Crime Prevention Company commander Lieutenant Commander Masud Rana, and the then Narayanganj city councillor Noor Hssain, now in Indian jail. The three military officers had been sent into retirement and they were now behind bars, among others. Of the 35 accused, 13 people, including Noor Hossain and eight former RAB members, are now at large. The Narayanganj police chief said necessary steps will be taken to arrest the fugitives. The investigators dropped the names of 16 civilians, including five people named in the first information report – Haji Yasin, Hasmath Ali Hasu, Aminul Islam, Anwar Hossain Ashik and Iqbal – from the charge sheet. The investigators said that of 25 battalion officials and rankers, 11 were deputed from Bangladesh Army, two from Bangladesh Navy, seven from Bangladesh Police, three from Border Guard Bangladesh and two from Ansar and VDP. The 10 other civilians, mostly ruling party men, were close aides of Noor Hossain, who are now in Indian jail. On April 27, 2014, the Rapid Action Battalion allegedly picked up the then Narayanganj city panel mayor Nazrul Islam and four of his associates, and senior lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarkar and his driver, from the Dhaka-Narayangnaj link road. Their bodies were found floating in Shitalakkhya River after a couple of days, triggering violent protests in the city. Nazrul’s widow Selina Islam Beauty filed a case accusing Awami League Siddhirganj’s unit senior vice-president Noor Hossain and five others. Chandan Kumar’s family filed another case against unidentified people.

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