Families wait for justice
The families of four people who were killed in a police action upon demonstrators in Kalihati upazila of the district a year ago are worried about justice as the investigation sees very little progress.
“They shot my innocent son on the head. I want justice for the murder,” said Bharati Rani, mother of Shyamol Chandra Das, 20, one of the victims.
Shyamol, a barber, was killed along with small trader Shamim and three-wheeler driver Faruk Miah on September 18 last year when police opened fire on a demonstration brought out by locals protesting brutality on a woman and her son in Kalihati of Tangail.
Another victim Md Rubel, a first-year college student who was among 32 injured, died two days later at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
On September 19, police filed two cases with Kalihati and Ghatail Police Stations against 900 locals on charges of assaulting cops and obstructing them from doing their duties.
In the cases, police also brought murder charges against the villagers, saying that the deceased were injured in firing during chase and counter chase between villagers.
The cases were transferred to the Detective Branch of Police on September 28 and later the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) got the responsibility to investigate those.
"The investigation is taking time as a lot of people were involved in the incident. Investigators need to quiz them for the sake of proper probe,” Abu Bakar Siddique, assistant superintendent of CID in Tangail Zone, said on Friday.
According to locals, the mayhem happened following an incident on September 15 last year.
On that day, Rafiqul Islam Roma of Satutia village in Kalihati summoned a boy and his mother to his house, said locals.
Roma and his relatives beat them and at one stage, the mother and son were stripped and confined to a room.
Roma was harbouring a grudge against the teenage boy of Atharodana village in adjacent Ghatail upazila for having an alleged affair with his wife.
Police later rescued the mother and son and also arrested Roma and his relative Hafiz after the woman filed a case with Kalihati Police Station the next day. A charge sheet was also pressed against the accused in the case.
On the afternoon of September 18, hundreds of locals took to the street, protesting the brutality on the woman and her son and to draw attention of the administration to take early action for justice.
At one point, police intercepted the demonstration and opened fire that led to the killings of four people and injuries to several others.
A three-member police investigation team also found “irresponsible attitude” of cops leading to the killings.
Three sub-inspectors and four constables were withdrawn from the police station in connection with the incident.
Faruk's widow Asia Khatun, 25, said after the death of her husband she has been working as housemaid at others' houses for a living. She has two minor children.
“Where is justice?” asked Faruk's mother Somela Begum.
Shamim's widow Anjuman Ara Bithi said, "My husband was shot at least 500 metres away from the demonstration spot."
“Now how can I live with two minor boys?” she said.
Rubel's grandfather Abdur Rashid urged the government to ensure exemplary punishment of the culprits.
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