Police to probe all Rab custodial deaths

The police will investigate deaths in the custody of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and the guilty will be punished, Rab chief Anwarul Iqbal said yesterday.

"If autopsy or forensic reports show the people were killed in custody, unnatural death (UD) cases will be turned into murder cases," Iqbal, director general (DG) of Rab, told reporters in the Rab headquarters in Uttara.

Seven people, including Sumon, a witness to the killing of Awami League lawmaker Ahsanullah Master, have died in Rab custody or after arrest, prompting sharp reactions from people. Ain O Salish Kendro, a non-governmental legal-aid watchdog, put the number of deaths in Rab custody at nine.

The meeting came two days after 'Pichchi' Hannan who figured on the police list of top 23 criminals died in 'crossfire' between a gang and Rab members in Savar early Friday.

The Rab DG at his first formal meeting with newspersons since its launch on March 26 said the elite anticrime force modelled on the concept of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation is armed with the latest training and logistics.

Rab, fashioned out of an amendment to rules and regulations of the Armed Police Battalion, has the authority of investigating cases on an order from the home ministry, said Iqbal, also an additional inspector general of police. "We will first investigate the cases and then arrest the accused."

The crime-combat force formed through a March 1 government order launched formal operations on June 21. Rab collects information and evidence before launching a drive against criminals, he said.

The force is staffed with 4,525 members of the 5,521 posts and 3,183 of them have trained in anti-crime combat, with the members drawn from six forces -- army, air force, navy, police, paramilitary forces (BDR) and ansar. Coastguard will also be included in Rab.

Rab will run checks at three international airports to control trafficking in women and children and detect fake passports and visa, he said.

Pointing to shortage of arms and ammunition and modern transport, Iqbal said the force would be equipped with the arms from the biggest arms haul in Chittagong by August 20, adding Rab went four months back in transport purchase, as a cabinet committee cancelled a tender for vehicles.

"We don't have enough arms -- we carry out drives with arms borrowed from the army or police," he told the journalists.

Rab arrested at least 646 people, including two who figured on the police list of top criminals and underground operatives.

"Rab will carry out its duty during the upcoming Saarc summit to ensure safety and security of dignitaries," Iqbal said.

Rab officials such as Lieutenant Colonel Chowdhury Fazlul Bari, Lt Col Hafizur Rahman, additional DIG Hasan Mahmood Khandker, Lt Col Aminul Islam, Lt Col Mirza Ejajur Rahman, Commander Saber Sharif, Major Rafiqul Islam and Captain Nasim were also present.