Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday said the directive to "shoot on sight was misinterpreted", and that the order was not given to law enforcers.

He said this while speaking at a press briefing at the party president's Dhanmondi office.

However, he did not clarify who was misinterpreting the order.

On July 20, Quader announced the government's decision to impose nationwide curfew and deploy armed forces.

He also mentioned at the time "shoot-on-sight" order while talking to journalists after a meeting of the AL-led 14-party alliance at the Gono Bhaban.

He, however, did not say who gave the order and to whom.

Hours after that announcement, the home ministry issued a gazette notification imposing a nationwide curfew and deploying armed forces to assist the civil administration in ensuring national security and protecting lives and properties.

But the government did not issue any gazette notification regarding the "shoot-on-sight" order.

The Daily Star yesterday looked into the websites of the home ministry and BG Press, but found no such gazette notification there.

Yesterday, Mohammad Ali Arafat, state minister for information and broadcasting, said none of the police, Rab, and BGB personnel was allowed to open fire, they had to work in line with the country's constitution.

"But some law enforcers might have violated the law on the ground. We will bring those to book following an independent judicial probe," he said while addressing the media at the secretariat.

This newspaper found at least 44 people were shot deadsince the "shoot-on-sight" order was mentioned.

"According to the law, a written government order [gazette] must be sent to the forces, authorising them to 'shoot on sight'. The government order clearly outlines the circumstances under which the forces are allowed to shoot on sight e.g. breaking a curfew. I have not heard of such a written order being published," said Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain, eminent security and defence analyst.

When the defence is deployed "in aid of civil power", they have to be sanctioned by a magistrate to shoot to kill.

"The army and the BGB need a magistrate present on a spot in order to shoot and kill someone. I don't know if any magistrate was present on the spot when people were killed. The police may have magistracy power to shoot to kill -- that I don't know for sure. But then the question is, which rank has that power? Were members of that rank present on the spot where the shooting happened?" questioned Sakhawat, also a former election commissioner.

"If they have been tasked with guarding a key-point installation, then they [army, BGB) can shoot to kill without a magistrate. If a magistrate is not present, then they must later answer to a magistrate why they shot to kill."

He added that according to the rules of engagement, the armed forces cannot shoot to kill without a warning. "They must draw a line on the ground and if the opponent crosses the line, then they are obliged to fire."

The home and law ministers, and the chiefs of police, Rab, and BGB did not respond to our calls and text messages seeking their comments if there were any "shoot-on-sight" order, and if not, why law enforcers shot people so indiscriminately.