Desk Report,
What happened in the selective ‘police killing’ in Baniyachang?
In Baniachang, Habiganj, the largest village in Bangladesh, on August 5, after clashes, attacks on the police station, and deaths of villagers in police firing, an unprecedented incident of angry villagers negotiating with the army and administration over the demand for ‘police killings’ took place. On that day, angry people attacked the Baniachang police station, looted weapons and set fire to it, and more than fifty policemen were besieged.
What happened in the selective ‘police killing’ in Baniyachang?
Earlier, at least eight villagers were killed in police firing there. After the deaths in police firing, thousands of villagers surrounded the police station and threatened to kill all the policemen there.
After a day of talks and negotiations, while rescuing police members from inside the police station late at night, Sub-Inspector (SI) Santosh Chowdhury was selectively kidnapped and beaten to death in the police station premises. The next day, on August 6, his body was hung from a tree in front of the police station. Witnesses and locals said that the angry crowd in Baniyachang was finally adamant in demanding that Santosh Chowdhury be handed over to the public.
The army, along with the district’s Superintendent of Police (SP), Deputy Commissioner (DC); and even important political leaders tried to calm the agitated crowd. But Santosh Chowdhury could not be saved in the end.
An eyewitness to the incident told BBC Bangla, “At first they wanted all the police to be killed, but the army did not. At one stage, they were saying, “We will not leave the road unless Santosh is given. You cannot take even one person.””
That day, the army rescued more than fifty policemen who were besieged at the police station and safely evacuated them to Habiganj. A police officer who was rescued from Baniyachang police station that day with the help of the army, Md. Abu Hanif, said that he could not have imagined that they would return alive. He said, “The army is discussing with them that ‘how can we give a person?’ Later, they could not stop him because they could not find any other way. We thought that if he gets caught inside the police station, the army will do something. The army may escort him, but it was seen that when he (Santosh) came out of the police station and stood in line, the public grabbed him by the paws.”
We tried to contact the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) and the higher authorities of the police regarding this incident, but no statement was immediately received.
There were two reasons behind why SI Santosh was targeted. First, the shooting on August 5 and his past role as a policeman in the area. The rescued police officer said that Santosh Chowdhury was accused of killing several people by shooting on that day. Apart from this, the people of the area said that a part of him was angry with him for some past activities.
A local businessman from Baniachong said that some people were angry with him (SI Santosh). ‘He is inciting many people. He is arresting those who were different from the Awami League, collecting bribes. There was anger towards him.’
However, a village resident near the police station brought up the issue of targeting Santosh from a different perspective. In his words, ‘He (SI Santosh) used to conduct raids against drugs from the police station. He would arrest those who were drug dealers. He would bring them under the law. He would take them to court. If someone caused damage to his business, he would have to be held accountable. Those who were involved in drug dealing would raise the slogan “I want Santosh, I want Santosh.”’
In response to the question of why Santosh went to shoot, the then inspector (investigation) of the police station, Abu Hanif, said, ‘Santosh immediately thought that if he shot, they would go away. Thousands of people surrounded the police station and threw bricks and stones at it, setting it on fire. Every room in the two-story building was set on fire. There was a fire on the ground floor, and 60-65 of us were trapped in a room on the top floor. The armory was burning down below and the smoke was hitting our eyes and faces. If we had waited another 10-15 minutes, we would have died of suffocation. Something like the Enayetpur incident in Sirajganj would have happened again.’
His family is still wondering why Santosh could not be saved even after the presence of the army and the administration on August 5. His father said, ‘We heard that the army had gone to rescue him; after they left, everyone else was coming, and he was left alone. Questions arise, but we don’t get good answers.’
Santosh Chowdhury is the only son in the family. He got married 10 months before his death. He had a child three months after his death. Santosh’s mother said, ‘My son had gone to work. He was working. It is my mother who keeps asking why she survived, why didn’t my son survive? Why didn’t she come?’
On August 22 last year, the police filed a murder case as the plaintiff in the attack on Baniyachang Police Station and the killing of the police. When asked about the progress of the investigation in that case, Baniyachang Police Station officials said that the progress of the investigation in the case was minimal, and there were no arrests.
Expressing surprise at such an incident, Dhaka University Law Department Professor Hafizur Rahman Curzon said, ‘Oh my God! This cannot be happening. This cannot be happening. Maybe the police are guilty. Maybe that police officer has gone too far. Try him. Punish him after trying him. Put him in jail, that is his punishment. If you kill him, you have encouraged anarchy.’
According to official sources, at least 44 members of the Bangladesh Police were killed during the mass uprising of 24. Many of these police officers were violently murdered. Police officers were attacked in various places, even within the police station. Several police officers were beaten to death and hanged in July-August. There was widespread public anger against the police. But legal experts and human rights activists believe that such killings are not desirable.
