TANGAIL KILLINGS : Police officer withdrawn still investigating case

A Kalihati police officer, who led a team during September 18 shooting in Ghatail and Kalihati and was withdrawn from the police station, was still serving at Kalihati and investigating one of two cases the police filed following the four killings.
Kalihati police inspector (investigation) SM Obaydul Haque told New Age on Wednesday that the order for his withdrawal was issued on Monday but ‘the clearance from Election Commission was still pending.’
‘I will be leaving the police station after Eid,’ Obaydul added.
He was one of the 10 ten policemen withdrawn from Ghatail and Kalihati police stations following the incident. Earlier on September 21, Kalihati police station officer-in-charge Shahidul Islam and Ghatail police station officer-in-charge Mokhlesur Rahman were withdrawn from the police stations.
The withdrawals of all but Obaydul already came into effect.
‘His [Obaydul] transfer order has been issued. He could not stay at the police station by any means,’ Tangail acting superintendent of police Sanjay Sarker told New Age when he was asked for comment.
Evidences indicated that at least eight policemen shot fired bullets on protesters killing four youths at Kalihati and Ghatail upazilas in Tangail on September 18 obtaining no permission from magistrate, keeping administration in dark and violating police regulations.
The police personnel concerned kept the district police administration entirely in dark about the situation ensued in one kilometre and a half radius in the junction of Kalihati and Ghatail upazilas during protests against torture of a woman and her
son stripping them naked by local influential men on September 15.
Tangail acting superintendent of police Sanjay Sarker declined to comment.
District police officials, however, said that the district police administration was kept in dark about the deaths for about four hours.
The Section 151 of the Police Regulations, Bengal stipulated that a magistrate present with an armed party, employed for the suppression of a riot or the dispersal of an unlawful assembly ‘is responsible for deciding when force is to be used and when fire shall be opened.’
Kalihati upazila nirbahi officer Ishrat Shadmeen said, ‘At the evening [on September 18], I called the Kalihati police station officer-in-charge after hearing news but he denied that a youth was killed in police firing…Since I confirmed the news and I informed my senior.’
Tangail deputy commissioner Mahbub Hossain declined to comment when asked whether he had approved the firing.
‘I rushed along with the superintendent of police to the spot as the situation was deteriorating by evening,’ he said.
Over two dozens of witnesses at Hamidpur bazaar and Kalihati said that the protesters got agitated as police charged baton on them and barred them from holding a peaceful rally.
‘It was peaceful protests blocking road Tangail-Mymensingh highway and police suddenly charged baton on them prompting youths to pelt stoned at the cops,’ said Nayeb Ali Khan, a cook of Bhai Bhai restaurant at Hamidpur bazaar at Ghatail where Shameem was shot dead at about 3:00pm.
Another team of five cops led by sub-inspector Abul Bashar shot four others — Faruk Hossain, Shyamol Das, Rubel Hossain and Badsha — some 700 metres distance from Kalihati bus stop, witnesses said.
Faruk and Shyamol Das died on September 18 and Rubel died at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital on September 20 while Badsha was now is undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Section 50(a) of the Police Regulation stipulated that only rubber bullets and other ammunition would be served out to any armed party to disperse mob.
Physicians concerned said that they found seven live bullets pierced the five victims while police officials claimed that they fired three live bullets at Kalihati bazaar and 21 at Ghatail.
Post-mortems of Shameem, Faruk and Shaymol conducted at Tangail Medical College found that all the bullets hit their bodies above waists. The post mortem report of Rubel was conducted at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and it found that bullets hit him in the head and abdomen.
Dhaka Medical College assistant professor AKM Shafiuzzaman said, ‘We are not sure about the type of gun but it was live bullet.’
Section 153(c)(iii) of the Police Regulation stipulated, ‘All ranks engaged in the suppression of a riot or in the dispersal of a riotous assembly must await the orders of a magistrate, an officer-in-charge of a police-station or a police officer superior in rank to such officer before firing.’
Kalihati police inspector SM Obaydul Haque, who is investigating one of the two cases field by the police, said that he was dealing with the mob at Hamidpur bazaar on September 18 and five cops, who were asked to transport seven demonstrators from the spot to the police station, opened fire at Kalihati bazaar when they were returning from the police station.
‘The team led by sub-inspector Abul Bashar opened fore without taking any permission from the senior official,’ Obaydul said.
Two forensic medical experts at Tangail Medical College said that Shyamal was hit by a bullet from a pistol while one of the two bullets found in the head of Faruk was from a Chinese-made rifle, widely used by the police.
A pistol was issued to sub-inspector Salimuddin, withdrawn from the police station along with nine others following the incident, and the police officer had shot one bullet during the incident at Kalihati bazaar, said Obaydul.
Two Chinese rifles were issued against constables Zia and Aminul, both were withdrawn, and they fired one bullet each at Kalihati bazaar, he added.
At Hamidpur, a 12-member police team led by Ghatail police station operation officer sub-inspector Omar Faruk opened fire after rubber bullets were finished, said Ghatail police inspector (investigation) Golam Mostafa Mandal.
Of the team members, sub-inspector Mansuf Ali fired seven bullets from his pistol, while constables Liakat and Harun fired three and 11 bullets respectively from their Chinese rifles. Mansuf, Liakat and Harun were withdrawn from Ghatail police station.
Omar, who filed a case against 600 villagers, had not taken permission from his high ups before shooting at Shameem, said a police officer concerned.
Omar, however, claimed that he knew nothing about the shooting.
‘We are now probing whether the use of bullets was justified,’ said additional district magistrate Sanwar Hossain on Tuesday.

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