Members of the Detective Branch of police (DB) in Dhaka shot 16-year-old Mohammad Shahadat Hossain Roni to death on October 13, 2012 at around 3:00pm in Ashulia, his family members have claimed. Roni is the son Hazrat Ali and Anu Begum of Chanpur village under Savar Police Station and was an 11th grade student of commerce department in Government Bangla College in Mirpur, Dhaka. His family members claimed he was shot to death on the Norshinghopur-Konabari road beside the Dhonaidh Eidgah field under the Ashulia police station.
Roni went to attend an invitation on October 13, 2012 at Mehedi Hasan Noyon’s aunt Sahara Begum’s house in Bagbari village of Kashimpur union under Joydebpur Police Station in Gazipur. He went to the invitation with Mehedi Hasan Noyon (27), son of Mohammad Sirajuddoula and Majlunnahar of Pachkani village of Kaundia union in Savar. Also, with them were Ripon, Mohammad Hossain, Mamun, Al-Amin, Rubel, Abdul Al Mamun alias Boro Babu and Hossain Babu alias Choto Babu. Noyon, Roni and others were returning home on a microbus through Norshinghopur-Konabari road from there. At that time the Officer in-Charge (OC) of Dhaka district DB police Wahiduzzaman, Inspector Shahin Shah Parvez and a few other DB personnel were stationed on a microbus near Dhonaidh Eidgah field. At around 3:00pm when their microbus reached near Dhonaidh Eidgah field on Norshinghopur-Konabari road, the DB police stopped them and asked where Noyon’s cousin Nurunnahar was. Thinking that they have been detained by Hijackers or miscreants, Roni, Noyon and others began screaming in fear and as a result the DB police officials beat them up. Fearing further trouble, driver Harun of their microbus panicked and attempted driving away when the DB police aimed at them and fired 30/40 rounds. Roni was bleeding from his back and another friend Ripon was bleeding from his head. Noyon told the driver to go towards a hospital. However, the DB police were chasing them with their microbus and when their microbus reached Talukdar Filling Station on Ashulia-Baipal road the DB police stopped their microbus, brought down Noyon, Roni and the others and began beating them again. Roni died a few moments after this incident. After that the DB police filed a case in Ashulia Police Station against Noyon, Ripon and the others and showing them arrested on accusation of murder and possessing illegal arms. They were sent to jail through a Court order.
Meanwhile, Noyon’s cousin Nurunnahar has been receiving death threats ever since she had her father Kofiluddin’s inherited property lawfully rescued from illegal possession of their neighbor Amanullah. Amanullah is considered to be a very influential person in the area. Nurunnahar, daughter of Kofiluddin and Sahara Begum had filed a case against Amanullah and rescued the land in 2009. The opponents in the case became angry and vengeful after the incident and they began sending her death threats. In order to take possession of that land again, Amanullah even tried to get Nurunnahar killed using the DB police. On October 13, 2012, Nurunnahar was supposed to return to Dhaka with Noyon, Roni and the others. Unable to find Nurunnahar, the DB police began beating up Noyon, Roni and the others and fired at their running microbus. Although Noyon was safe but Roni died in the police fire.
Odhikar’s view:
The incident of members of law enforcement agencies in plainclothes shooting someone to death is really alarming and is equivalent to taking a stance against the legal system of the country. Government has repeatedly failed to tackle this situation due to which the rule of law in the country is breaking down. Odhikar demands that the government finds the perpetrators of Roni’s killing through a free and fair investigation.
fact-finding-extrajudicial killings-Md Shahadat Hossain Roni-2012-eng (full text in English, PDF)
fact-finding-extrajudicial killings-Md Shahadat Hossain Roni-2012-ban (full text in Bangla, PDF)
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