Reports on ex-officers' statement misleading: RAB

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has described media reports on statements by two of its former officers on the Narayanganj multiple murders as 'misleading'.

A statement released by the force's media wing also claimed the comments of Narayanganj Bar Association president Shakhawat Hossain on the statements recorded by the court to be 'deliberate'.

Former RAB officers Arif Hossain and MM Rana gave confessional statements last week on the murders of Councillor Nazrul Islam, lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarkar and five others.

File Photo

The RAB media release, signed by the force's spokesperson ATM Habibur Rahman, says media reports published on Jun 6, carrying 'fictitious' names, were 'misleading'.

"Any confessional statements given to the court are classified as per the law and there's no scope of knowing their contents," the statement reads.

"But, the comments by a lawyer, which claimed the involvement of a senior official of the RAB headquarters, within just 10 minutes of the recording of the confessional statement, was made deliberately," the release says, adding that the media reports were an attempt to divert the investigation.

Three former officers, including the commanding officer of RAB-11 Tarek Mohammad Sayeed, were arrested following a High Court order. They have already been forced to retire from their parent forces.

Former army officer Arif Hossain and former naval officer MM Rana have, in their statements to the court, confessed to their involvement.

Media reports said the two had done this under orders from a senior RAB officer.

RAB’s official reaction on Saturday said certain quarters were out to taint its image.

"If any senior RAB official's name has come up in the statements, then legal actions will be taken against him according to the law, that is the standard procedure," reads the statement.