Stop Extra Judicial Killings: Respect and Establish an Effective Judiciar

ON 17th November 2009, a Division Bench of the High Court of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh passed a suo moto Rule to show cause as to why appropriate action shall not be taken against Major Kazi Wahiduzzamn and Lieutenant Hasan and their companion for the liability of killing Lutfor Khalashi and Khalilur Khalashi of Shirkhara union under Madiripur Sadar Upzila, within 48 hours from date, along with an explanation by D. G. of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) as to such heinous activity now continuing in his Battalion. For many, this was a long awaited and much needed reassertion of the rule of law and an important call for accountability with respect to our criminal justice system. However, this sense of hope came to a halt as 11 more “crossfires” were reported in the subsequent 27 days. Once again, it was back to square one.

By Khan, Arafat