Involvement of AL men in incidents of killing
Govt on hard line
2 BCL men killed in �crossfire�
Apparently agitated over the involvement of the party men in the recent incidents of killings, government has decided to show zero tolerance to the perpetrators in a bid to restore its image.
It is learnt that prime minister and ruling Awami League president Sheikh Hasina has asked the home minister to take all-out measures to maintain law and order.
She also warned the party ministers and senior leaders to refrain from patronising any criminal elements, party insiders told The Independent.
Clashes between rival factions of the party in some districts caused the death of several people and left many injured in the last couple of weeks.
Of these, the incident of Magura where a baby in her mothers womb was hit by bullet during a clash between two groups of the local unit of Bangladesh Chattra League (BCL), the student wing of the ruling party, triggered a wave of shock across the country.
The incident was followed by the killing of an Awami League man by a rival faction in Kushtia during the observance of the National Mourning Day, and the triple murder at Badda in the capital, which was allegedly perpetrated by local AL leaders. In the latest, on Monday, a teen age boy was beaten to death by a BCL man in Lalbagh area in the capital.
Commenting on the situation, AL joint general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif said the government is committed to take stern actions against those who were involved in the recent clashes.
None of the perpetrators will be spared. Everyone will have to face justice. The present Sehikh Hasina government is very committed to main tain law and order at any cost, he told The Independent.
Talking to The Independent AL international affairs secretary Lt. Col.
(Retd) Mohammad Faruk Khan also pointed out that steps would be taken against
those who were involved in criminal activities irrespective of their party affiliations.
However, the law enforcers started hectic move to nab the accused of the above incidents.
In another development, two BCL activists, one accused of beating to death a teenager and another of shooting a pregnant woman, were killed in separate gunfights with law enforcers in the last 24 hours.
They were Arju Miah, president of the BCLs Hazaribagh thana unit in the capital, and Mehedi Hasan, alias Azibar, a former local leader of the BCL.
Rapid Action Battalion-2 sources said Arju Miah, accused of beating 17-year-old Raja to death on suspicion of theft in the Hazaribagh area, was killed in an encounter with RAB early yesterday. RAB claimed that they caught Arju on Monday after a complaint was lodged by Rajas sister that he had killed her brother. RAB said they took Arju with them to arrest others involved in the lynching of the boy. When RAB personnel reached Baruibari, near Beribandh, late in the night, an encounter occurred and Arju was hit by a bullet at around 3:30am on Tuesday. His associates fled. Arzu was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where doctors declared him dead, RAB-2 said.
RAB-2 seized two foreign made pistols and three rounds of bullets, along with other ammunition, from the shootout site. Arju Miah, 28, son of Lal Miah, was killed in the shootout early on Tuesday morning. His body has been kept in the DMCH morgue and will be handed over to his family members, said Saiful Islam, sub-inspector of Hazaribagh police station.
He further said that they detained three men Monir, Sagor and Sujon in connection with the killing of Raja and produced them before court yesterday.
Mehedi Hasan, alias Azibar, one of the prime accused in the shooting of a pregnant woman in Magura, was killed in what the police said was a shootout.
The Superintendent of Police (SP) of Magura, Ehsan Ullah, told The Independent that they had been looking for Azibar as he kept moving from place to place.
When we got information that a group of criminals was seen near the Doarparh madrasa at around 11:45 on Monday night, a police team left for the place. But as soon as the police reached the area, the criminals started firing. The police returned the fire to bring the situation under control, he added.
Later, local people also joined the police in their fight against the criminals, who fled the scene leaving behind a body, he said. Local people identified the body as that of Azibar, he added.
Six policemen were injured and given preliminary treatment, he said. He said police seized one .9mm pistol, two rounds of bullets and one LG gun from the spot.
The SP of Magura said Azibars body was handed over to family members after autopsy.
A pregnant woman, Najma Begum, was shot during a clash at Doarparh on July 23 during a fight between local Awami Juba League activist Kamrul Bhuiyans supporters and those of former Juba League activists Mohammad Ali and Azibar. Abdul Momin Bhuiyan, Kamruls uncle, was killed and a neighbour injured.
Najma was in an advanced stage of pregnancy when the bullet hit her womb. This led to a huge outcry and condemnation across the country. However, the baby was delivered under the doctors intensive supervision. Both mother and the baby are still under observation at the DMCH.
The police have arrested nine of the 16 accused in the case filed by family members of Abdul Momin.
Meanwhile, Ruling Awami League presidium member Obaidul Quader yesterday criticised Bangladesh BCL, the associate student wing of the party, for its recent activities.
An unhealthy process has grabbed the countrys student politics. If student union elections had been held in the countrys colleges and universities, stability would have returned to student politics and students would not have got involved in criminal activities, he said.
Obaidul Quader, also the road, transport and bridges minister, came with the statement while addressing a programme organised marking the 40th death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the capital yesterday.
The present BCL leaders have forgotten their basic ideals. They are not vocal for ensuring rights of the students. I have seen in different programmes that they are discussing national politics when they should discuss over their own problems, he said.
The senior AL leader also criticised those BCL leaders who posted their photographs alongside with Bangabandhu and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in billboards marking the 40th death anniversary of the Father of the Nation.
