Follow-Up
Two Years Into Masum's so-called Death in Crossfire
Parents still long for the long arm of law
Shahnaz Parveen
It has been two years since the gruesome killing of Iqbal Hossain Masum, a brilliant student of Jagannath University, took place, but mysteriously, police are yet to submit investigation report of the case despite an order of CMM's court.With no headway in the investigation, on July 4, Masum's family in a letter to Chief Adviser appealed for justice. Masum, a Shershah Shuri Road resident at Mohammadpur, was brutally killed on July 8, 2005. On the dreadful day, Masum was attending a family programme in Mehedi community centre at Asadgate in the capital. Masum went out of the community centre after an anonymous caller called him on his cellphone. He went missing ever since and his worried family members could not trace him all night. Next morning, his family came to know the horrible news on a local TV channel that he had been killed. It is alleged that a team of Detective Branch (DB) of police picked him up from the community centre. The DB personnel took his body to Dhaka Medical Collage Hospital next morning claiming that he had been killed in a 'crossfire'. They tried to brand Masum a notorious criminal named Galakata Masum who was accused in several criminal cases. The DB however could not present any substantial evidence or record whatsoever to back up their allegation. Masum's father Khandaker Abul Khaer termed the killing a planned execution. He said there was not even a single general dairy (GD) registered against his son in any police station in the country. He argued that Masum could not have been killed during crossfire since the bullet wounds in his head, armpit and lower back (where kidneys are located) bear clear signs of shooting at point-blank range. When Khaer challenged DB's allegations and intended to file a case against the DB with Mohammadpur Police Station, the on duty police officials refused to accept any case and recorded a GD instead. On August 18, 2005, Khaer filed a petition with CMM's court, Dhaka. The court directed ASM Mizanur Rahman, the then Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner, to conduct an inquiry into the matter. The DMP commissioner then assigned Shahriar Rahman, the then assistant deputy commissioner (south) of DMP, to conduct the inquiry. Rahman cross-examined 21 people and submitted a 10-page report on June 2006. Rahman was later transferred to another post. Masum's father suspects wrongdoing and says it is mysterious that the report did not make it to the court after two years into the killing. Without the report, trails could not take place. Masum's family said Masum's killers are still at large and justice is being delayed as the investigation report is yet to be submitted to the court.
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