Rights groups decry Sahara comments
Rights defenders on Friday came down heavily on home minister Sahara Khatun for her remarks that she had nothing to do with the Limon Hossain case as it was now for the court to decide the matter.The rights activists termed the comments 'highly irresponsible' and 'sheer disrespect for rule of law.
Sahara Khatun on Thursday told newsmen, 'The government has nothing to do with the Limon case at this stage, as it is now for the court to decide the matter.'
'The police have pressed a charge sheet against him after an investigation. Now the court will decide the case,' she said although the director general of Rapid Action Battalion on April 11 had said Limon was innocent and he might have been a victim of a shootout between gangsters and the battalion.Limon was shot in the leg by RAB in Jhalakati in April and had to be amputated.
The National Human Rights Commission chairman, Mizanur Rahman, who had called for proper investigation of the Limon incident, said that the home minister could in no way avoid its responsibility in ensuring a fair investigation into the shooting of the college student.He said that the commission would go for a legal battle to defend Limon by appointing a lawyer to uphold justice.'It would be a test for the court to ensure a fair trial. The commission on Thursday applied for enlisting its name in favour of the case filed by Limon's mother,' he said.
Ain O Salish Kendra executive director Sultana Kamal, also newly elected chairman of Transparency International Bangladesh chapter, said the police had hurriedly submitted a charge sheet to conceal its mistakes.She urged the government to compensate Limon's family by admitting the mistakes as the RAB director general had said Limon was accidentally hit by a bullet during a 'shootout' between the battalion and gangsters in Jhalakati.
She said the home minister's statement was unacceptable and wondered how she (Sahara Khatun) could make such irresponsible remarks.Jurist Sara Hossain said the minister's comments reflected her 'sheer disrespect' for rule of law. 'Such comments are a threat to rule of law,' she said.'Although other ministers are speaking for rule of law, the law enforcement agencies continue to ignore it,' she said.
Rights watchdog Odhikar secretary Adilur Rahman Khan said the home minister had tried to avoid her responsibility by making such remarks.He said that the police had submitted a charge sheet in connection with the case filed by the RAB in a bid to block a fair investigation of the case recorded by police 16 days after the court order.'The role of home minister proves that the government is failing to protect the rights of citizens,' he said.
An adviser to a past caretaker government, ASM Shajahan, told New Age that he thought that the home minister had made the statement considering all aspects of the incident.He suggested that the case filed by Limon's mother should be transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department for a fair investigation.'The home ministry should hand over the case to CID for a credible investigation,' he said.
Information commissioner Sadeka Halim told New Age that the government should investigate all allegations of human rights violations against RAB personnel.She also said that the charge sheet submitted by the police implicating Limon in the case filed by RAB before the investigation of another case filed by Limon's mother would raise questions.'The battalion so far found no evidence of his [Limon] involvement in crimes. He just fell "victim" during a "shootout" between the cohorts of local gangster Morshed Jomadder and a team of the battalion,' The RAB chief told a briefing at its headquarters on April 11.He said that a team of RAB-8 had gone to village Saturia in Jhalakati to arrest Morshed, who was sentenced to 90 years of imprisonment in different criminal cases.
'RAB-8 had conducted an investigation which described Limon as a criminal. As questions were raised by different quarters about the investigation, RAB headquarters launched a fresh inquiry into the incident. Besides, another committee led by a magistrate is also investigating the incident,' said the RAB DG.
On April 26, the Rajapur police in Jhalakati registered the case against six RAB personnel on charges of shooting the college student.The police registered the case after the district and sessions judge, Faruk Ahmed, on April 26 rejected a petition filed by the police seeking a review of the order passed by the judicial magistrate asking the police to record in 48 hours the case, filed by Liomn's mother Henoara Begum on April 10.
Henoara filed the case with the Jhalakati court accusing six battalion personnel of shooting her son without caring about verifying his identity on March 23 when he was taking cows for grazing at Saturia of Rajapur in the district.The police on Wednesday submitted the charge sheet against eight people, including Limon Hossain.
Charges were pressed against them in the case filed by the battalion under the Arms Act 1878 for the incident in which Limon was shot and maimed by the RAB.Limon received treatment at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barisal about eight hours after the shooting and was referred to National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation in the capital, where his left leg was amputated on March 27.
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