65-year-old killed in late-night Rab raid
The force claims it was in self-defence, witnesses say officers opened fire during altercation with villagers
A 65-year-old man was shot dead and another was shot in the legs during a raid by Rab in a village of Sonargaon upazila of Narayanganj early yesterday, locals said.
Rab Commanding Officer Lt Col Tanvir Mahmud Pasha said the law enforcers used their firearms in self-defence after miscreants opened fire on them and tried to snatch a murder suspect from custody in the Borgaon area after midnight.
But around 12 witnesses, including the widow of the deceased, said the victim, Abul Kashem, 65, and the others present at the scene were unarmed and the men in plainclothes aimed at his stomach and shot him from close range during an argument.
Hearing the gunshot, more villagers began to gather at the scene, thinking there was a robbery, they said, adding that the men in plainclothes then shot local pharmacy owner Humayun Kabir, 50, in both legs.
Police found that neither of the men who got shot had any criminal records, according to Chai Lau Marma, additional superintendent of police in the district.
The number of deaths due to so-called "crossfires" and "gunfights" fell significantly after the United States imposed sanctions on Rab and some of its officials on December 10, 2021.
According to Ain o Salish Kendra, this is the fifth killing in "gunfights" involving Rab since the US sanctions.
The deceased man, Abul Kashem, was a craftsman who used to make different household products with bamboo and cane. He had five sons and a daughter.
Humayun Kabir, the other person who got shot, is being treated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Over 20 witnesses told this correspondent there was no way to tell that the men picking up a villager named Selim after midnight were law enforcers. They assumed the men were criminals.
Ramiza Begum, widow of Kashem, said she and her husband heard a commotion outside her house and went to see what was going on.
"We saw a group of men taking away our neighbour Selim. He was crying. My husband asked them why they were taking him. At that, they hit my husband with sticks. When he yelled at them, one of them identified himself as Rab and shot him in the stomach," said Ramiza between sobs.
"They hit my husband with sticks. When he yelled at them, one of them identified himself as Rab and shot him in the stomach."
Rab men later picked up Kashem's son Nazrul Islam, 40, a jamdani weaver, and grandson Sraban Islam, a 10th grader, said the family members.
A total of 22 people were picked up by Rab, villagers said.
A relative of Humayun Kabir said Humayun went out of his house after hearing gunshots.
"At first, we didn't understand who they were. If we knew any better, we wouldn't have interfered. We later heard that Rab came to arrest Selim in a murder case. People thought there was a robbery in the village.
Mosharraf Hossain, resident medical officer at Sonargaon Upazila Health Complex, said, "The person was brought dead at the health complex around 3:10am with a bullet wound above his navel."
WHAT RAB SAID
Commanding Officer Tanvir said, "Last Friday, a woman's body was found in Sonargaon. We identified the killer and raided the Bargaon area to arrest the suspect named Selim.
"When we detained the suspect, some miscreants attacked Rab with firearms and sharp weapons. They opened fire to snatch the suspect. Then Rab fired back in self-defence... We did not know if anyone was injured. In the morning, we got the news that a person was shot dead and another was injured."
He added that four Rab members were wounded and two of them were critically. None got shot.
Asked why the Rab men didn't reveal their identities, he said, "Miscreants usually come up with such excuses. They all knew we were law enforcers."
Asked about the detention of 22 people, he said, "Since Rab was attacked, we later went there and identified some of the attackers and picked them up. But not all of them were arrested. We are now verifying them."