Probe must be fair
The High Court yesterday questioned the way Rab personnel were being interrogated in the sensational seven-murder incident in Narayanganj.
"According to media reports, all the Rab-11 personnel, who had been in the unit during the incident, continued their service there [in the Narayanganj unit] even after the incident took place," said Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore.
“But some of them were arrested and the rest are still in service. Their statements are being recorded with intervals of one day or seven days or 10 days, though it is not a very difficult task to record their statements concurrently, since their names, addresses and ranks are available.
“Is it being done to implicate or protect any particular quarter?” Justice Tagore posed the question.
The HC bench of Justice Md Rezaul Haque and Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore also said that the probes should be conducted in such a way that no question about its fairness arises.
The observations were made after three progress reports on the investigations into the gruesome murders were submitted to the court.
The bench also expressed dissatisfaction with the slow progress of the investigations.
Additional Attorney General Momtaz Uddin Fakir submitted the reports on bechalf of the inspector general of police (IGP), the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and the seven-member probe committee formed by the public administration ministry.
Justice Tagore asked the additional AG what should be done with findings of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police that initially started probing the abduction and murder incident but was later expunged from the investigation by the Appellate Division.
In response, Momtaz Uddin said the findings would be put to use in accordance with the law.
Citing from the progress report of the Rab, he told the court that 87 people including members of the elite force had been interrogated.
Now their statements were being examined, he said, adding seven more days would be needed to prepare the complete probe report.
Referring to the report submitted by the seven-member probe body, Momtaz Uddin said the committee had recorded statements of 374 people including ruling Awami League lawmaker Shamim Osman, Narayanganj city Mayor Selina Hayat Ivy, Additional Director General Col Ziaul Hassan of the Rab, Rab-11 officials and the bodyguard of ward councillor Nur Hossain, prime accused of the case.
The committee needed to interrogate Nur Hossain, now in an Indian prison for illegally entering that country, and some others. It sought four weeks' time to submit the complete report to the HC.
As for the IGP's report, Momtaz Uddin said police protection has been ensured for the witnesses and the family members of the victims.
The HC bench fixed December 10 for passing necessary order on this.
In April, Narayanganj panel mayor Nazrul Islam and his four associates, and senior lawyer Chandan Sarker and his driver were abducted and killed allegedly by some Rab-11 personnel. Their bodies were later found floating in the Shitalakkhya river.
Three sacked Rab officials -- Lt Col Tareque Sayeed Mohammad, Maj Arif Hossain and Lt Commander SM Masud Rana -- are in police custody in connection with the seven-murder case.
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