‘Narrow escape from crossfire’

With his hands tied, trader Abdul Basit was forced to get off a police van at Rarai village in Sylhet's Zakiganj upazila in the dead of night on September 13, 2019.

He was then asked by the then officer-in-charge of Zakiganj Police Station, Mir Abdun Naser, and sub-inspector Mizanur Rahman Sarkar to run away.

Just then, Basit saw a flash of light and started shouting: "Save me, save me".

Torch bearing BGB members, patrolling the border with India, rushed towards him blowing their whistles. Soon, some locals also gathered hearing the hue and cry.

This was what Basit's wife had mentioned in a complaint she lodged with the then deputy inspector general of Sylhet range a day after the incident.

"The cops had a plan to shoot Basit dead the moment he would run and stage a 'crossfire drama'," the complaint read.

Basit, a resident of Zakiganj's Khashera village, narrated an exact account of the incident to The Daily Star on January 22 this year.

Rights body Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) brought the incident to the notice of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) following media reports.

The NHRC asked the senior secretary to the home ministry's Public Security Division to send a report upon investigation.

The ministry in a letter to the NHRC on June 3, 2021, attached a Police Headquarters report dated May 18 that year. The report said the allegations against OC Abdun Naser and SI Mizanur were primarily proved. Later, the ministry informed that allegation against another SI Samraj Mia was also primarily proved.

It said proceedings of departmental cases against the accused cops were underway, according to a letter that the commission wrote to the ASK.

PROBE YET TO BE COMPLETED

Over two and a half years went by, but the PHQ is yet to complete investigations in the departmental cases, let alone punishing any of the officers.

In the meantime, the commission wrote at least six letters to the home ministry, asking it to complete the proceedings against the accused cops and inform it about the actions taken.

The NHRC gave deadlines thrice -- in April, May and August -- last year and April 1 this year, but to no avail.

In reply to the NHRC letters, the senior secretary's office time and again stated that allegations against the cops were primarily proved and proceedings of departmental cases were underway.

According to one of the letters written to the NHRC on March 20, 2022, fifty witnesses were detected in the departmental cases filed against SI Mizan and SI Samraj and statements of 15 of the witnesses were recorded.

The process to file a departmental case against former Zakiganj OC Abdun Naser is under process, according to the letters.

This correspondent contacted NHRC on May 8, the officials said they sent another letter to the home ministry, requesting it to complete the probe by May 20.

Asked, NHRC Chairman Kamal Uddin Ahmed said there has been dilly-dallying over the matter, but punishment to the persons responsible has to be meted out.

"Sometimes we get frustrated. In some cases, they are taking action as per NHRC's request. The culture of punishing those responsible and providing compensation to victims has not yet been established in our country," he told The Daily Star.

Amirul Islam, additional superintendent of police at the PHQ, who is tasked with NHRC issues, said the departmental cases were under investigation against the three officers.

BASIT NARRATES ORDEAL

Talking to this newspaper, Basit said that failing to kill him in "crossfire", the OC asked locals to file an attempted robbery case against him, but no one complied with his directive.

The OC then brought him to Zakiganj Police Station, took his photo and uploaded it on his Facebook terming Basit a criminal, he added.

Narrating the incident, Basit said OC Naser called him over his mobile phone around 8:00pm on the day before the incident and asked him to meet.

"I immediately informed the matter to local Manikpur Union chairman Mahatab Uddin and chairman of nearby Kaskanakpur UP Riaz Uddin," he said.

On their advice, he met the OC at Union Office Bazar from where he was taken to a nearby checkpoint area. There, police detained him and put handcuffs on him.

"I repeatedly begged for my release, but my requests went unheeded," he said.

Naser then boarded him in a police van, took away Tk 5,000 and his mobile phone. After taking him to different places, the police took him to Rarai village. They asked him to get down from the van and run away.

Basit said some influential neighbours with whom he had a dispute over a piece of land, "might have used the police to have him killed".

He claimed that the rivals earlier framed him in two false cases over snatching and drug peddling.

"My family has been going through an ordeal as police filed an attempted robbery case against me and four others a day after the incident," Basit added.

He was released on bail on January 3, 2020, upon a High Court order.

Contacted recently, former Manikpur Union Chairman Mahatab Uddin said Basit was on good terms with OC Naser while he was serving in district DB. After Naser became Zakiganj OC, Basit called the chairman and introduced him to the OC.

Naser, who is now posted at Sylhet SP office as an inspector, claimed himself and other officers to be innocent.

"Since an investigation is going on over the complaint, I cannot make any comment. If the authorities find us guilty, they may take action. And if we feel aggrieved with that action, we may go to a court," he said.

He also said senior officers submitted 10 reports to the authorities over the matter and the reports did not find him guilty.

Mizan and Samraj could not be contacted for comments.