lördag 28 januari 2012

Tale of Bangladesh's death squads



Tale of Bangladesh’s death squads
---Anisur Rahman
In Sweden, to silence a bothersome individual you complain
to police. When you need to bother a journalist, you can take part in debate
column or you can start a blog yourself. In a country like Bangladesh, you hire
an assassin. That’s all and possible. The bothersome could be killed in a car
crash or crossfire.
Killing an
individual in Bangladesh costs just a few hundred dollars. You'll never
get caught, if you can manage the authority. It’s not that much expensive, if
you have any deal with police or Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) or administration.
The place, where corruption prevails, one can manage free access to heaven sending
others hell. The land is a heaven for national-international corrupt groups and
hell for general public who are in favour of democratic values, freedom of
thoughts, secularism and peace. One can be killed at home, in office, public
places and on streets.
Killing can be secret or open. Killing is a never ending
practice in the country for a long. Killing is continuous, no matter whether
the government is political or military or secularist or nationalist-fundamentalist
or not. Killing by terrorists, killing by police and killing by India’s Border
Security Force—BSF: all are contributing to make the life of Bangladesh’s
citizens a hell. Between 01 January 2000
and 10 July 2009 a total of 789 Bangladeshi citizens were reported killed by
BSF, 846 injured while 895 had been abducted.
Around the country,
politicians, corrupt officials and crime bosses literally get away with murder.
Ethnic minority Garo community leader from Madhupur, Cholesh Richil was killed by
military in 2007. No case has yet been filed. One can find hundreds of such
examples. When corruption is in practice, particularly in administration,
political parties and police agencies, killing becomes an easy practice. Even if you are once caught you will be free
from trial when you can have a political connection with government party. The
list of killing would be too long. I am reflecting on recent ‘secret killing’
committed by police and RAB. I would say instead of a law enforcement unit, RAB
has become a deadly law breaker.
Human
rights campaigners have observed that the number of mysterious disappearance
and secret killing witnessed an alarming rise in 2011 compared to those of the
previous years. According to a report from a human rights organization, 51 people
had vanished last year, of whom 15 bodies were recovered. In most such cases,
bodies of victims, allegedly picked up by plain-clothed law enforcers, were
found in canals or roadside ditches.
But, in
reality, the authorities concerned, including the top law enforcement officials
and persons with powerful portfolios, constantly blame either on ‘criminal
gangs’ or the opposition parties for the incidents. Thus the administration is
allowing secret killing by police and RAB, when ‘crossfire killings’ is are
widely criticized at home and abroad. The government has been blamed for taking
the route of undercover killings in the wake of national and international
demand to stop extrajudicial killings, which is no way accepted in a
functioning democracy. On this contrary, minister Sahara Khatun is denying the
allegation and she is justifying the killing and defending the killings
committed by her police and RAB forces.
RAB was
formed in March 2004 as a composite force comprising members from the military
-army, air force, and naval force - the police, and members of Bangladesh's
other law enforcement groups. After its formation, the force has killed more
than six hundred people. They tortured and harassed hundreds of people. Despite
committing ‘secret killing’ and ‘crossfire killing’ killer police and RAB
personnel are getting immunity. This reality is sickening the life of
people.
RAB is nothing but a death squad. A death squad roams the
streets of the country. The government does not appear to be doing anything to
stop it. The climate of fear in Bangladesh is increasing. #









Photo: Shahidul Alam