Three law enforcers, including a sub-inspector, were taken into police custody yesterday in connection with the killing of a man in a police firing. The incident took place at Telipara village in Bhatiyari area under Sitakunda upazila on Wednesday night.
Sub-inspector Nazmul Huda, Constable Abul Kashem and Special Ansar Ismail are kept in Chittagong police lines lock-up as they went to Telipara in plainclothes violating the departmental rules, according to police sources.
On Wednesday night, SI Nazmul and the two others, all in plainclothes, went to the village around 8:45pm to arrest “drug peddlers”. When they captured two “drug abusers”, locals started shouting, terming the police personnel as robbers.
SI Nazmul, to disperse the mob, opened fire on them. The incident left Saiful Islam, 24, Imran Ali Jo, 19 and Kabir Ahmed alias Bhola driver, 55, bullet-hit. Saiful succumbed to his injuries at Chittagong Medical College Hospital the same night.
“The three were taken into police custody following the incident. I have told the victim's family to lodge a complaint against them. Stern action will be taken…,” said Noor-e-Alam Mina, Chittagong superintendent of police (SP).
“The police department will not take the responsibility of the incident as they [the three] were not deployed there [Telipara village] and went on their own,” he said. A regular case would also be filed in this connection.
Terming the drive in plainclothes unauthorised, Iftekhar Hasan, officer-in-charge of Sitakunda Police Station, submitted a report to SP Noor-e-Alam in the morning.
This correspondent obtained a copy of the report that said the team of police comprising SI Nazmul Huda and two others were deployed in Siraj Bhuiyan area to PHP part of the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway. Also, they were supposed to be uniformed while on duty.
However, the three were in plainclothes when they went to Telipara village. They went there, leaving their assigned place of duty, without informing the OC or the police station.
“SI Nazmul fired nine rounds of bullet from his official gun on the angry mob during the incident, leaving three people bullet-hit. One of the injured died at the hospital,” the report added.
Meanwhile, a three-member committee, headed by Additional SP Mosiuddowla Reza (north), has been formed yesterday h to investigate the incident. The other members are Additional SP Rezaur Rahman (Sitakunda Circle) and Additional SP Shahjahan Mia (District Special Branch).
“The committee was asked to submit its report within three days,” said SP Noor-e-Alam.
