‘Try extra-legal killings’

National Human Rights Commission chief Mizanur Rahman has demanded that the government try the security agency officials “responsible for extra-judicial killings”.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 5 March 2015, 08:15 PM
Updated : 5 March 2015, 08:15 PM

After meeting Chief Justice SK Sinha on Thursday, he told reporters of his latest position citing several incidents of alleged cross-fire incidents.

He said there were instances where people were said to have been killed in gunfights with law-enforcing agencies.

Petrol bombs or crude bombs are kept beside the body and the law enforcers say the person was involved with terrorism and died in a gunfight, he further said.

“We’ve drawn his (the chief justice) attention to this matter too,” Rahman said. “Such deaths are unacceptable.”

He said they would consider such deaths as extra-judicial killings if the law enforcing agencies’ statements were not proven beyond doubt.

“Those responsible for the [deaths] should be brought to justice,” he added.

The NHRC chief had earlier suggested examining mental fitness of members of the law-enforcing agencies before issuing them firearms.

He drew flaks from police last November for his comments involving the law keepers.

Rahman said policemen of a “particular district” seemed to be above the law, seemingly referring to Gopalganj, the home district of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

On Thursday, he alleged the law enforcers were violating law while arresting people.

The NHRC chief said they got complaints that people had been arrested but the law enforcers denied all along. 

The arrests were becoming public only when the persons were produced before court two-three days later.

"Everything is shown to have been done, on paper, in 24 hours but we can see a clear disrespect for the law here," the NHRC chief added.