Zahid Siddique Tarek, the alleged killer of Juba League leader Reazul Haque Milki, has been killed in a so-called `crossfire` with RAB.
Rapid Action Battalion’s intelligent wing Director Lt Col Ziaul Ahsan has confirmed bdnews24.com about the incident.
The official said unknown miscreants opened fire at them at around 10pm Wednesday near Khilkhet when they were taking Tarek to Gulshan Police Station from Uttara.
RAB also fired back in self-defence, he added.
He said, during the ‘gunfight’, two people including Tarek were killed on the spot.
He identified the other as Shah Alam and claimed he was one of the assailants who allegedly tried to snatch Tarek from the elite force.
“Two RAB officials were also injured,” he added.
Milki, an Organising Secretary of the Dhaka Metropolitan (south) unit, was shot in the head in the early hours of Tuesday in front of a Gulshan shopping centre.
A closed-circuit camera in the shopping mall captured the incident. RAB identified Tarek, another Organising Secretary of the Awami League’s youth front, as the killer from the video footage and arrested him within hours of the killing.
”When we analysed the video footage, we saw Zahid walking right towards Milki holding a mobile phone on his left ear and shooting him with a firearm on his right hand,” RAB’s Media Cell Director ATM Habibur Rahman told bdnews24.com on Wednesday.
”Tarek’s manner of walking will give the impression that he was just a pedestrian in a hurry,” he added.
The RAB official claimed Tarek took that particular strategy so that “Milki does not understand his plan.”
Rahman said the weapon used in the murder was yet to be recovered and added all those who had been arrested had already been handed to Gulshan Police.
Tarek had been treated at an Uttara clinic after he was also injured in the incident.
The ruling Awami League in its electoral pledge promised zero tolerance towards the crossfire – killings in so-called ‘crossfire’, ‘encounter’ and ‘shootout’ – in common parlance.
Amid criticisms both at home and abroad, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni in February 2011 had said extrajudicial killing had become almost part of the system and it could not be changed overnight.
Meanwhile, RAB has asked the home ministry for permission to investigate the murder.
Milki’s brother Major Rashidul Haque Khan filed a case with the Gulshan police on Tuesday night naming 11, including Tarek, for the murder.
Juba League has expelled the Dhaka Metropolitan (South) Joint Secretary Tarek and Dhaka Metropolitan (north) Organising Secretary Sakhawat Hossain Chanchal over the incident.
Supporters of the Milki claimed a faction of the Juba League had been plotting to eliminate him for a long time.
“The conspirators have finally succeeded in killing him after many attempts,” the front’s Motijheel unit leader ‘Sunny’ said.
Source: Bd news24
First of all, we do not support extrajudicial killings by the law enforcers, even if the victim is an alleged killer himself . The alleged killer, Tarek in this particular case, of reportedly another killer, Milki, along with his other associates, should have been given a fair trial to prove his legal guilt and then punished by a court of law. There have been so many incidents of fake ‘encounter’ over the years, it is difficult to believe the usual version put forward by the law enforcers.
Despite government denial, the law and order situation is all time low with people being terrorised, maimed and killed on a daily basis. There are criminals in all societies, but Bangladesh is a place where criminals, terrorists and killers with connection with the ruling party are more or less immune from legal prosecution and due punishment. During the last BNP rule, one person (belonging to BNP) and punished with death sentence for murder was given Presidential pardon. Following the same bad practice, about 22 persons (belonging to AL) being awarded death sentence for murder were given Presidential pardon. (If Dr Yajuddin Ahmed during BNP was bad, Mr Zillur Rahman during AL was no better). Many other alleged criminals having connection with the ruling party were also given immunity by the government.
It is clear, the ruling party uses state apparatus including the police and other law enforcers mainly against the opposition leaders and workers very ruthlessly, but they keep their eyes shut to the criminality of those connected with them. This makes the law and criminal justice system in Bangladesh a sham.
During the last four and a half years of AL government, many leaders of Chatro League and Jubo League have perpetrated hundreds of criminal acts like toll collection, violence and terrorist acts. But the government have taken no concrete action to prevent this unacceptable culture. The ruling party and their supporters have been blaming Jamat-Shibir-Hefazot for all violence and terrorism in the country, while ignoring the violence and terrorism by their own activists and supporters. If terrorism is bad in the name of Islam, why should it be good in the name of politics? We urge upon the government to eradicate terrorism from their own ranks first before talking of any fight against those who resort to violence and terrorism in the name of Islam.
I am puzzled by the fact that the criminal who killed Tarek by 8/9 shots at close range, was wearing dress (pyjama, punjabi and tupi) usually associated with an Islamic religious person. What was the purpose? Suppose there were no CCTV near the site of the murder and RAB could not identify the killer so quickly. Would some body from the ruling party would tell the media that ‘the alleged killer could not be properly identified, but it is suspected from his dress that he was connected with Jamat-Shibr or Hefazot’? Could it be new ‘false flag operation’ to unleash another round of propaganda barrage against the ‘Islamic forces’ before elections? Remember it was Mr Faruk Khan (having close family links with Sheikh Hasina) who proclaimed immediately after the Peelkhana Massacre that ‘Islamic militants were involved in the conspiracy’ but subsequently the minister’s statement was proved to be lie. Indian media also tried to find imaginary ‘Islamic’ links with the tragedy, while 90% of Bangladeshi people believe that it was a R&AW operation with several ruling party leaders also being involved to destroy Bangladesh armed forces. Similarly, the violence and killings perpetrated at Shapla Chottor on May 5-6 night are falsely attributed to the Hefazot supporters by the government and their cronies, but the whole world know that the atrocities were actually perpetrated by a combined force of police, BGB, Jubo League and Chatro League. The government produce as evidence of Hefazot criminality in that massacre some photographs of people wearing pyjama, punjabi and tupi who engaged in violent activities like throwing bricks at police, running with lathis and in acts of arson. Was there another ‘false flag operation’ in Shapla Chottor in which some trained Jubo League-Chatro League terrorists (Crusader 100?) initiated and carried on the violence but gave the impression that they were Hefazot activists?