Lawyers threaten to lay siege to RAB-11 office

Lawyers in Narayanganj have threatened to lay siege to the RAB-11 office on May 11 if the probe into the murders of seven people, including senior lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarker, makes no ‘tangible progress’.

President of the Narayanganj Lawyers Association Sakhawat Hossain announced the siege plan at a rally in the city on Tuesday with no arrests yet in connection with the abductions and killings late last week.

Father-in-law of slain city Councillor Nazrul Islam, Shahidul Islam, has alleged the involvement of RAB-11 personnel in the crime.

It is alleged that Advocate Sarker and his driver were whisked away on Apr 27 as they were witness to the abduction of Nazrul and his four aides.

Their bodies, with hands and legs tied, were found floating in the Shitalakhya river three days later.

The district lawyers association has since been protesting against the murders. They also observed a general strike in Narayanganj on Sunday.

“We will lay a siege to the RAB-11 office on Sunday (May 11) if there is no progress in the probe and the accused are not arrested by Saturday,” Sakhawat Hossain said after a show of protest in the Chandmari area on Tuesday.

After the sensational murders, RAB-11 commanding officer (CO) Lt Col Tarek Sayeed Mahmud was removed.

The elite force has also formed a four-member investigation team after Nazrul Islam’s father-in-law alleged city Councillor Nur Hossain had paid members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Tk 60 million to carry out the operation.

The High Court on Monday also ordered the formation of a seven-member committee, led by an additional secretary of the public administration ministry, to probe the incident and the allegations.

The court also ordered that RAB be kept out of the investigations in view of the allegation against the force.

The main accused in the case, Nur Hossain, who is also the vice-president of Awami League’s Siddhirganj unit, is still absconding.