It seems odd that a group of men would intercept a bus on a highway and beat up the driver so mercilessly as to cause him to succumb to his injuries, and get away with it—with the law enforcement agencies unable to do anything about it in three years. In April 2019, that is exactly what happened to a Shyamoli Paribahan bus driver in Chattogram city’s Shikalbaha area. He was set upon by plainclothes men, who claimed to be police detectives, and done to death in front of passengers and the helper of the bus. They were looking for yaba, but found nothing after searching the vehicle. It seems they vented their spleen on the driver for failing to net their target—as if it was the driver’s fault that there was no yaba on the bus.
It is not surprising that the case has not made any headway in three years, and given the circumstances and the alleged perpetrators, one doubts whether the culprits will be identified, let alone brought to justice—ever.
The telltale signs—some of them were carrying handcuffs, walkie-talkies and pistols—betray the identity of the men involved in the driver’s death, apart from the fact that they had themselves declared their identity as Detective Branch (DB) personnel. What is unacceptable, therefore, is the inordinate delay in finding out exactly who they were that day on April 22, 2019. The Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) are quoting records and CCTV footage to support their claim that none of their DB personnel was out on any operations that night. Admittedly, every operation is supported by relevant documents showing time out and in, and the nature and location of operations and the personnel employed in it. Therefore, it should not be a problem to identify the personnel from the records, provided that the records have not been tampered with.
However, if we take the CMP’s statement as true, then it begs several questions. Firstly, does it take three years to find out about another “microbus, an SUV and a car of another law enforcement agency crossing the toll plaza of Shah Amanat Bridge’s Karnaphuli end and heading towards the city after the incident,” as was revealed in the CCTV footage, and acknowledged by the CMP? Secondly, if no law enforcement agencies were involved in the incident that day, should we assume that there are people masquerading as DB men and going about their ways with impunity? That is an equally dangerous scenario.
We believe there is an attempt to hedge the issue and sweep it under the carpet. It is for the police to identify the culprits, because the fingers are pointing at them. The facts are clear, and the perpetrators must be identified and punished for the sake of justice and credibility of the police. Killing is a reprehensible crime—abetting is equally, if not more, so.
