Death of party men in crossfire

Many in AL unhappy

Law minister for judicial probe

The recent deaths of some party men in ‘gunfight’ with the law enforcers have caused furor among a section of the ruling Awami League, with many believing that such a move cannot prevent the involvement of party men in criminal activities unless the political patronisations of crime come to an end.
In the last 48 hours, three AL men, accused in some sensational criminal cases, were killed in ‘gunfight’ with the law enforcers.
Most of the criminal incidents took place in different parts of the country and had resulted from intra-party feuds.
Though some central leaders indirectly backed the ‘crossfire’ incidents, terming it as a measure to get the party rid of the criminal elements, some leaders of the party openly criticised the action.
Talking to The Independent, AL Advisory Council Member Suranjit Sengupta said that it is not a wise decision of the government to curb a political party’s internal conflict through crossfire. AL is a big political party in the country and it is very normal to have leadership competition in it, for which leaders can get involved in internal conflict, he said.  

“It is a political problem and it should be resolved politically, but the way the government wants to curb it, is not fair,” he said.  
Ruling party lawmaker Fazle Noor Taposh came down heavily on the law enforcers after the killing of Bangladesh Chhatra League leader Arju Miah, who according top RAB officials, was killed in a ‘gunfight’ in the city on Tuesday.
“There is no logic behind this sudden killing. Arju was killed by RAB personnel, not in a ‘gunfight’. It is an incident like the sensation Narayanganj seven murders. I want fair trial in connection with the Arju killing” he added.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Hajaribagh area AL leaders claimed that Arju was killed by members of law enforcement agencies. They demanded punishment of the law enforcers involved.
Clashes between rival factions of the party in some districts have caused the death of several people and left many injured in the last couple of weeks.
Of these, the incident at Magura where a pregnant woman was hit by a bullet during a clash between two groups of the local unit of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the ruling party, sent shockwaves across the country. The bullet pierced the womb and also struck the baby.    
The incident was followed by the killing of an Awami League man by a rival faction in Kushtia during the observance of 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 teenage boy was beaten to death by a BCL man at Lalbagh in the capital.
Meanwhile, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq has said that the allegations of extra-judicial killings against law enforcement agencies should be investigated properly in accordance with the law.  
 “There can be a judicial enquiry over the allegations of extra-judicial killing against the law enforcing agencies in order to find out the real truth behind the incidents,” said the law minister while talking to reporters at his office in the secretariat yesterday.   
In response to a query, the minister said that he was not in favour of any independent enquiry beyond the legal system. But the judicial enquiry could be carried out to find the truth over the allegations, he noted.    
Expressing grave concern over the recent deaths in ‘crossfire’, rights organisation Ain o Shalish Kendra (ASK), in a statement on Wednesday, alleged that the government is resorting to extrajudicial killings to cover up deterioration of law and order.   
It said that law enforcement agencies have killed 101 people in separate incidents of ‘crossfire’ from January till June this year.
Among them, 24 were killed by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), 64 by the police and 13 by other law enforcement agencies, it said.  The ‘crossfire’ statistics for the period was prepared on the basis of reports published in national dailies, and information gathered by ASK.

 

Death of party men in crossfire

Many in AL unhappy

Law minister for judicial probe

The recent deaths of some party men in gunfight with the law enforcers have caused furor among a section of the ruling Awami League, with many believing that such a move cannot prevent the involvement of party men in criminal activities unless the political patronisations of crime come to an end. In the last 48 hours, three AL men, accused in some sensational criminal cases, were killed in gunfight with the law enforcers. Most of the criminal incidents took place in different parts of the country and had resulted from intra-party feuds. Though some central leaders indirectly backed the crossfire incidents, terming it as a measure to get the party rid of the criminal elements, some leaders of the party openly criticised the action. Talking to The Independent, AL Advisory Council Member Suranjit Sengupta said that it is not a wise decision of the government to curb a political partys internal conflict through crossfire. AL is a big political party in the country and it is very normal to have leadership competition in it, for which leaders can get involved in internal conflict, he said. It is a political problem and it should be resolved politically, but the way the government wants to curb it, is not fair, he said. Ruling party lawmaker Fazle Noor Taposh came down heavily on the law enforcers after the killing of Bangladesh Chhatra League leader Arju Miah, who according top RAB officials, was killed in a gunfight in the city on Tuesday. There is no logic behind this sudden killing. Arju was killed by RAB personnel, not in a gunfight. It is an incident like the sensation Narayanganj seven murders. I want fair trial in connection with the Arju killing he added. At a press conference on Wednesday, Hajaribagh area AL leaders claimed that Arju was killed by members of law enforcement agencies. They demanded punishment of the law enforcers involved. Clashes between rival factions of the party in some districts have caused the death of several people and left many injured in the last couple of weeks. Of these, the incident at Magura where a pregnant woman was hit by a bullet during a clash between two groups of the local unit of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the ruling party, sent shockwaves across the country. The bullet pierced the womb and also struck the baby. The incident was followed by the killing of an Awami League man by a rival faction in Kushtia during the observance of 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 teenage boy was beaten to death by a BCL man at Lalbagh in the capital. Meanwhile, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq has said that the allegations of extra-judicial killings against law enforcement agencies should be investigated properly in accordance with the law. There can be a judicial enquiry over the allegations of extra-judicial killing against the law enforcing agencies in order to find out the real truth behind the incidents, said the law minister while talking to reporters at his office in the secretariat yesterday. In response to a query, the minister said that he was not in favour of any independent enquiry beyond the legal system. But the judicial enquiry could be carried out to find the truth over the allegations, he noted. Expressing grave concern over the recent deaths in crossfire, rights organisation Ain o Shalish Kendra (ASK), in a statement on Wednesday, alleged that the government is resorting to extrajudicial killings to cover up deterioration of law and order. It said that law enforcement agencies have killed 101 people in separate incidents of crossfire from January till June this year. Among them, 24 were killed by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), 64 by the police and 13 by other law enforcement agencies, it said. The crossfire statistics for the period was prepared on the basis of reports published in national dailies, and information gathered by ASK.