Police probe finds ‘no police negligence’ in Avijit murder, blames disconnect

The internal investigation into the role of police during the murder of writer-blogger Avijit Roy has found no ‘negligence’ of the policemen on duty at the Dhaka University.

But the enquiry blamed a ‘lack in coordination’.

Detective Branch spokesperson Monirul Islam said on Monday, “The report specifically said nothing about negligence of any member of the force.

“However, it does mention the lack of coordination of police surveillance and work in the area on that day.”

“The police check post was nearly 250 feet away from the scene of the crime. There was a lot of vehicle movement around the spot. It was dark also. The site was not visible from the check post.”

The law enforcers are yet to make a breakthrough in the probe of the Feb 26 killing of the Bangladeshi-American blogger who faced threat for his work on secular freedom, science and against religious fanaticism and superstition.

On Monday, another writer with a similar stand, Oyasiqur Rahman Babu, was killed in the same manner in the capital’s Tejgaon.

Immediately after Avijit’s murder close to a full-fledged police station, yards from a check post, and inside ‘the three-tier security blanket’ for Amar Ekushey Book Fair, law enforcers who were on duty came under fire for failing to act promptly and preventing the murder. 

A number of civil society members, teachers, MPs and a former chief justice also criticised police for their role and demanded an explanation.

A three-strong enquiry was launched to look into the allegations against the law enforcers and the committee submitted its findings to Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner last week. 

DMP Joint Commissioner Mir Rezaul Karim, who headed the probe, declined comment on their findings, “All I can say is that the report has been submitted.”

Meanwhile, Dhaka University Professor Ajay Roy, father of Avijit, has questioned the probe findings.

“If police investigate their colleagues, it is obvious they will not find any negligence.

“For that, the investigation into whether there were any negligence on the part of police should have been carried out by civil society representatives or judges.

He also raised three points about the murder.

First, police were near the site of the crime. Second, whether there was any police action to stop the killers. Third, when Avijit was lying on the ground, a photojournalist stepped up to take him to hospital, where was police?

“Police were standing beside the street, but did not come forward to catch the killers. There are photographs showing that. Is those not negligence?”

Police were deployed in a number of teams surrounding the site of the crime, Shahbagh OC Sirajul Islam had said.

They were stationed at the book fair gate on the south, on the opposite and on the north.