SMT-9 submachine gun -- a sophisticated weapon that can wreak havoc in the wrong hands.

Police constable Kawsar Ali, who shot his on-duty colleague dead in the highly secured diplomatic zone in the capital's Baridhara, was mentally unstable and even received treatment at a hospital, claimed his family members.

Yet, there he was, entrusted with the SMT-9, a weapon designed to unleash controlled chaos.

The police brass, however, claimed they did not know about Kawsar's mental condition.

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Cop shot dead by colleague in Baridhara diplomatic zone

But this "ignorance", if it's in fact true, raises further questions, "What background checks do law enforcers conduct before handing over such weapons to their own?"

"My son was supposed to be on duty with a stick. We do not know why he was given the weapon as his department was aware of his sickness," Kawsar's mother Mabia Khatun told The Daily Star yesterday.

His wife Nilufa Yeasmin said Kawsar received treatment from a Pabna hospital, and provided a medical certificate taken in 2010.

The Daily Star has a copy of the certificate, which shows Kawsar being released from a mental facility in 2010.

According to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Kawsar has been working at diplomatic security division since August 2, 2022. He has been doing duty with heavy weapons since then.

Kh Mahid Uddin, additional commissioner (crime and operations) of the DMP, said, "We were not aware of Kawsar's mental condition since he was doing duty properly."

"During interrogation, Kawsar spoke about some personal discomfort. The real reason why he shot a colleague dead would be known during investigation," he said.

Around 11:45pm on Saturday, Kawsar shot his colleague constable Monirul Islam with his SMT-9 submachine gun in front of the Palestine embassy in Dhaka. During the incident, he fired a total of 38 rounds from two magazines.

Gulshan police arrested Kawsar for murder, and he is now on a seven-day remand.

An embassy driver, Sajjad Hossain, was also shot and is receiving treatment at United Hospital.

DMP yesterday formed a three-member committee to probe the murder with deputy commissioner of Gulshan Division Rifat Hasan Shamim as head. The committee was asked to submit a report within seven working days, Mahid said.

The police officials did not disclose any reason behind the shooting till yesterday.

On Sunday, investigating officer of the murder case, Abdul Mannaf, a sub-inspector at Gulshan Police Station, reported that Kawsar shot Monirul during an altercation centring duty.

Contacted, DC Rifat Shamim told The Daily Star, "Many issues have come up. We need some time to investigate thoroughly before we can provide a clear statement."

Kawsar joined the force on December 15, 2005.

During his service, he received 25 awards for good performance. But he was also punished four times for negligence, such as missing duty and overstaying leave, according to a police source.

Several police constables in the diplomatic zone questioned why superior officers deployed Kawsar, who was mentally stressed, with a modern weapon in a sensitive area.  They are demanding a proper investigation.

Tawohidul Haque, associate professor at Dhaka University, told The Daily Star, "Law enforcers commonly label the accused as 'mentally disabled' or 'stressed' to downplay incidents."

He added, "Superiors cannot avoid responsibility as they must assess situations before deploying officers to sensitive duties. Annual performance reports also highlight personal behaviour and relationships with colleagues."

He suggested implementing a proper mechanism to address these issues.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said yesterday, "A committee has been formed, a case was filed, and the accused constable is on remand and being interrogated. We believe the truth will emerge after the investigation."

[A Kushtia correspondent also contributed to this report.]