Police probes find two addl SPs, 11 other personnel guilty

Two police probes have found two additional superintendents of police and 11 other personnel of the force guilty of being negligent and incompetent in stopping the firing that killed four people during a mass protest in Tangail last year.

The probe reports, recommending appropriate steps, including suspension and transfer, of the guilty, were submitted to the High Court yesterday during the hearing of a relevant writ petition, Deputy Attorney General Motaher Hossain Sazu told The Daily Star.

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Three people were killed on the spot and 32 injured as police opened fire on locals in Kalihati upazila on September 18 last year. The fourth victim died two days later.

Hundreds of locals took to the street on that day to protest an assault of a mother and her son. A clash broke out when police stopped the demonstrators.

On September 15, Rafiqul Islam Roma of Saturia village in Kalihati beat the woman and her teenage son because the boy was "having an affair" with his wife.

Roma also "sexually harassed" the woman, from neighbouring Atharodana village.

Police rescued the two and arrested Roma, while locals protested the torture three days later.

The two probe committees, led by additional deputy inspector generals Mohammad Ali Miah (crimes) and Mohammad Alamgir Alam (discipline) of Dhaka range, had submitted the reports to the inspector general of police on December 15 last year.

Accepting the reports yesterday, Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir Lytton asked the IGP to submit a report before it by March 7 on what steps have been taken against the police personnel concerned, as per the recommendations.

The court also fixed March 9 for further hearing this issue, DAG Sazu said.  The Ali Miah-led committee said in the report that Additional SP of Tangail Mohammad Sharifur Rahman did not take proper steps personally to prevent the unexpected incident, as he did not take its dreadfulness into consideration.

The official also did not run a mass campaign to pacify the aggrieved locals even after knowing about the incident, it said, adding Sharifur failed to prevent the deterioration of law and order situation centring on the assault of the mother and son.  

He showed carelessness and incompetence in discharging his duties, the report said.

The report continued that another additional SP, Sanjoy Sarkar, did not run a mass campaign or exchange views with local people to prevent the deterioration of law and order situation and did not take proper steps to prevent the incident.

Sanjoy, then SP of Tangail, failed to discharge his duties, the report said.

The other police personnel are sub-inspectors of Ghatail Police Station Omar Faruk, Munsup Ali and its assistant sub-inspector Harun-or-Rashid, its former officer-in-charge Mokhlesur Rahman, Kalihati Police Station's SIs Abul Bashar and Salimuddin, constables Aminul Islam, Ziaul Haque and Tomal Chandra Deb, its former OC Shahidul Islam, and its watcher Mahatab Uddin, according to the probe report.

Following the writ petition filed by Executive Director of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers' Association (BNWLA) Salma Ali, the HC on September 30 last year directed the government to submit the inquiry reports on the police firing in 60 days.

The court also issued a rule upon the government to explain whether police had followed the relevant legal provisions in opening fire on the agitators.

Deputy Attorney General Motaher Hossain Sazu, who placed the police probe reports before the court, said police followed all relevant legal provisions in the firing to pacify the demonstrators and bring the situation under control.