Statements from police blame the unarmed protesters for making the first move on law enforcers, triggering the clash
Police appear to be more serious about finding those who allowed protesters on Sunday to come “perilously” close to the police headquarters than about punishing the policemen who crossed the limits.
On Sunday, police in full riot gear charged truncheons, hurled tear gas cannisters and used water cannon to disperse a group of unarmed students who were protesting the force’s inaction in probing into the assault on women on Bangla New Year’s day.
Soon after the incident, mainstream and social media were flooded with photographs and news stories, portraying how policemen pounced on the unarmed protesters who were all members of the leftist student organisation Bangladesh Chhatra Union.
Photographs of one particular attack on a female leader of Chhatra Union – in which policemen are kicking and beating her with rifle butts and pulling her by the hair – drew the strongest criticisms.
Yesterday, Police Headquarters and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) formed two separate three-member probe bodies to look into the incidents.
Apparently moved by what they said was “negative” news published in the media, the committee formed at the police HQ was tasked with finding out if any of the policemen had done anything more than what they should have.
A press release, informing the formation of the committee, also termed the protesters “rowdy” and blamed the protesters for getting involved in a clash with law enforcers.
Meanwhile, the DMP, apart from forming a probe committee of its own, suspended one of its members of the naik rank for “misbehaving” with the protesters. Naik Anisur Rahman from the Public Order Management of Mirpur zone was closed to the Rajarbagh Police Lines.
A DMP press release yesterday said that their three-member probe committee was tasked with finding out how “the leaders and activists of Chhatra Union had overcome so many barricades to come from Dhaka University to Minto Road, an important area where ministers live.”
The DMP release also asked the committee to find out the role that the on-duty policemen played when the protesters tried to “block vehicular movement” on Minto Road and “attacked the police personnel on duty and their vehicles.”
The DMP committee will also have to find out within seven days the kind of security measures taken by the Ramna Zone, the legal actions taken against the protesters for attacking police and the context of the “negative” news published in the media.
Writ seeks HC order
Meanwhile, a writ was moved with
the High Court yesterday challenging the legality of Sunday’s police action on women activists.
The petition requested the court to issue an order on the government to take necessary steps against the policemen responsible for assaulting women during Sunday’s protest.
Supreme Court lawyer Eunus Ali Akond moved the petition with the HC. He prayed the court to order the National Human Rights Commission to investigate the incident and find out whether human rights were violated during the police attack.
The petitioner told reporters that the HC may hear the petition today.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
