Police brought the bodies of three youths with multiple bullet injuries to Dhaka Medical College morgue early yesterday claiming that those “arsonists” were killed by a mob in the capital’s Mirpur area.
The youths, aged between 18 and 22 years, however, did not have any major injury marks of beating but their bodies were riddled with bullets injuries in the chest, abdomen, waist, hands, arms, back and legs, morgue sources said.
In another incident, the bullet-hit bodies of two BNP men were found in Jhenidah Sadar yesterday morning.
Meanwhile, Abdul Wadud, 30, convener of the ward 10 unit of pro-BNP Sramik Dal, was killed in a “shootout” between police and his alleged associates at Kalyanpur in the capital early yesterday, police claim.
Wadud’s family members, however, claimed that he had no political affiliation and that police had picked him up on Sunday morning from a street.
About the three victims of Mirpur, police claim that they learned in primary investigation and quizzing some witnesses that the victims and some of their cohorts gathered in front of Krishibid Bhaban at Kazipara to hurl petrol bombs and explode crude bombs on vehicles around 11pm on Sunday, during the BNP-led alliance’s ongoing hartal programme.
“Some people who were present there chased them to Baish Bari area and caught them. They beat and shot them leaving critically injured. On information, we rushed to the spot and took them to Dhaka Medical College Hospital,” Moinul Islam, OC (investigation) of Mirpur police, said in the inquest report.
According to the DMCH sources, a team of Mirpur police took them to the hospital around 1:20am.
The inquest reports of the three victims, prepared before the autopsy, had the same narrative.
According to the report of one 19-year-old victim, whom the police assumed to be a non-Muslim, he had 16 marks of bullet injuries. Of those, two were on the throat, two on the right elbow, two on left arm, two on his chest, two on abdomen, five on the back and three on waist. He was wearing a yellow T-shirt and pants.
Another youth, aged around 20 years, had 16 marks of bullet injuries. He had a shallow injury mark on his abdomen, according to the inquest report prepared by Sub-Inspector Md Masud Parvez of Mirpur police.
The body of the other victim, aged around 20 years, had a total of 22 bullet injuries.
Several marks of bullet were found on a wall where the incident took place yesterday.
There were marks of blood on the road and a wall. More than 10 shells of bullets, of different guns, were found lying around. There was also a long blood-stained rope on the spot.
However, when a team of police went to the spot in the noon, they drove away the onlookers. Collecting the bullet shells and the rope, they threw those in a drain.
Talking to several dwellers, who did not want to disclose names, it was learned that they heard sounds of bullets around 10pm but did not see the incident of firing. Some dwellers claimed that they had seen around 10 armed people entering the lane and stayed there for around an hour.
Asked how the victims had suffered bullet injuries if a mob beat them up, OC Moinul Islam said: “It can happen if someone from within the crowd shoot them.”
He, however, expressed concern over the “shooting by mob.”
“We are investigating the incident. We have already filed a case against 100-150 unnamed dwellers of the area.”
He made no comment on the blood-stained rope and said they were trying to know identities of the victims.
About taking much time to send the bodies to the hospital, he said the locals had informed the police after an hour of the incident. “We took time to complete the formalities.”
He also claimed that the police had recovered petrol bombs and crude bombs from the spot.
Wadud’s death
The family members of Wadud claim that police picked him up from in front of the Mirpur police station around 10:30am. Jhut trader Wadud was going to his business shop at Tolarbagh from Mirpur house.
But the police claimed that a mob handed him over to them after they had caught him near the city corporation office at Mirpur section 10.
Salahuddin Khan, OC of Mirpur police, claimed that during primary interrogation, Wadud had admitted his involvement in several arson attacks during the blockade.
“A police team went to Kalyanpur along with Wadud to nab his cohorts – Parvez and Rubel – around 1:15am. His cohorts opened fire on the police triggering a gunfight. Wadud sustained bullet injuries as he tried to jump off the police vehicle.”
The OC claimed that Wadud had launched crude bomb attacks on buses from his motorcycle at Mirpur on January 25 and 29 and February 22 during the blockade. “Police have the CCTV footage of the attacks,” he mentioned.
Wadud was declared dead around 1:30am at the DMCH, he said.
According the inquest report, the victim had marks of six bullet injuries on his body.
The victim’s paternal uncle, Chand Mia Bepari, identified the body at the DHC morgue in the morning.
He later told reporters that Wadud had been in jhut business for 10 years and that he had two shops in Tolarbag. “His phone was found switched off shortly after he went out on Sunday morning. In the afternoon, someone phoned his father informing that Wadud was at the Mirpur police station,” Chand Mia said.
Wadud’s father Abdul Ali Bepari went to the police station and enquired the OC about his son. The OC then denied having arrested him.
“But our relatives saw Wadud’s black motorcycle on the police station premises,” Chand Mia said.
The family came to know about the death of Wadud in “shootout” on TV yesterday morning and identified the body at the morgue.
Asked about Wadud’s political identity, Chand Mia alleged that the police had cooked a story. “He was just a trader. He was not named as accused in any case. He used to stay with his parents and two siblings at home.”
OC Salahuddin said: “I think his family members did not know about Wadud’s involvement in arson attacks. Moreover, the family members of such criminals usually do not admit these matters.”
He also claimed that Wadud used to carry out subversive acts under the directives of Mirpur unit Jubo Dal President Mamun Hasan and local Chhatra Dal leader Milton.
Bullet-hit bodies in Jhenidah
Locals found the bodies of BNP activists Polash Hossain, 25, and Dulal Hossain, 24, of Charkhajura village under sadar upazila, yesterday morning lying on a lentil field at Dafolbaria village, our correspondent reported.
Polash’s father Golam Mostafa is the councillor of ward eight under Jhenidah municipality.
Alal Hossain, elder brother of Dulal, told the Dhaka Tribune that his brother had been picked up by the DB police on Wednesday evening from Chuadanga bus stand of Jhenidah town.
On the other hand, relatives of Polash claimed that he had been caught by DB police around 5pm on Thursday from Saradganj bazaar in Chuadanga.
The bodies bore marks of bullet injuries on their ears and wounds on the hands.
BNP’s Jhenidah unit Office Secretary Jahangir Hossain said both the victims were BNP activists. He alleged that the law enforcers had killed them so that no BNP activist dared to bring out any procession in the town.
Former BNP lawmaker and President of Jhenidah district Moshiur Rahman condemned the killings.
OC Rafiqul Islam of Jhenidah DB police refuted the allegation claiming that the law enforcers had not picked them up. “We are not involved in this shootout,” he said.
A team of Sadar police led by SI Anwar Hossain recovered the bodies from the spot and sent those to Jhenidah sadar hospital for post mortem examination.
