Of strange shootouts

Ever since her husband was killed four months ago, one question has been bothering Nazma Khatun – “how does a person in police custody get killed by others?”

Anisur Rahman of Satkhira's Kolaroa upazila was taken away on May 28 by two police officials Nazma knew. She watched as her husband was handcuffed and blindfolded, claimed the widow.

The next day, he was said to have been killed in a "gunfight" between two groups of drug traders.

"… police cooked up the story to cover up the killing," Nazma told The Daily Star recently.

The cops in question denied picking up Anisur.

For the last four months, the mother of two has been looking for answers.

And justice remains elusive.

"I know the police officers very well as they visited our home several times before taking my husband," she claimed.

The killing of Anisur in so-called infightings after being picked up by men in plainclothes is no one-off incident.

Police came up with almost similar narratives after deaths of at least 50 out of the 241 suspected drug traders killed since the anti-narcotics drive began on May 4.

Seventeen of them were killed in Jashore alone while four each were killed in Magura, Satkhira, Cox's Bazar, and Mymensingh.

Family members of most of those deceased point fingers at law enforcers as their near ones were killed hours or days after plainclothes men, claiming to be cops, picked them up.

Rights activists said “infighting” is a new narrative for extra judicial killings as law enforcers' narratives of “shootouts”, “crossfires” or “gunfights” have become clichés over the years.

However, the so-called shootouts are still going on.

According to Nazma, assistant sub-inspectors Ezaz Mahmud and Toriqul Islam of Khurdo Police Outpost and some others handcuffed and blindfolded her husband.

The next day, his bullet-riddled body was found near his village.

Police claimed that Anisur was a drug dealer and was killed in a gunfight between two groups of drug traders. Both the ASIs denied picking him up.

Sub-inspector Biplob Roy of Kolaroa Police Station, also the investigation officer of the consequently filed murder case, could not arrest anyone. He, however, concluded even before completing the probe that no police officers were involved in the killing.

“The allegation of the family is not true,” he told The Daily Star recently.

In all the “infighting” incidents like Anisur, police claimed that they went to the spot hearing gunshots and recovered bodies, drugs, and firearms from the scene.

This correspondent talked to at least 10 investigation or supervising police officers of such cases. All of them said they could not arrest any suspects. 

Some families of those killed expressed doubt about ever getting justice.

“Whom do I ask for justice when people from the administrations killed my husband? I could have gone to the police station had other people killed him,” said Parul Begum, wife of Liton of Benapole, Jashore.

Her husband was found dead two days after plainclothes men picked him up from in front of Jashore jail after he came out on bail on May 28.

Liton was a drug dealer and was killed in infighting, claimed Benapole police who had arrested him just a week before in connection with possession of cannabises.

Liton being in jail had relived Parul and the family. They decided not to seek his bail as people were being killed in the districts in “shootouts”, Parul said. 

Interestingly, a lawyer hired by Liton's friend Tuhin moved his bail petition with the family unaware, just days after his arrest, the family claimed. 

The family was in dark until the lawyer informed Parul about the bail.

Worried Parul rushed to the jail gate and met her husband to tell him about it. “He was afraid and asked me to receive him at the jail gate on his release,” Parul said.

Parul went to the jail gate to receive him but four plainclothes men took him away before her own eyes minutes after Liton stepped out of the jail.

Tuhin was not at Liton's funeral, which made the family suspicious, Parul said.

Human rights activist Nur Khan termed the “infighting” incidents a new trend of extra judicial killing.

“A new pattern has emerged mainly in Jashore and some other districts where bullet-hit bodies are being found and police are saying those were killed in infighting. But their families claimed that they were picked up or were in police custody,” he said.

Nur Khan said in the other narratives for extra judicial killings, law enforcers have some responsibility since they are involved in “gunfights” with “criminals”. But many believe that this narrative allows law enforcers to be the least liable.