'Time for govt to fulfil poll promise'

Dhaka, June 23 (bdnews24.com) ? Amid the hue and cry over human rights violations in Bangladesh, the Awami League-led government has an opportunity to fulfil its poll promise, says a senior Amnesty International official, currently in Dhaka.

"It's over two-and-a-half years that the present government came to power, but they are yet to fulfil their election promise to look into the cases of human rights violations and ensure justice to hundreds of victims," said Amnesty International deputy director of Asia-Pacific Programme Madhu Malhotra, who is here to take stock of, primarily, the goings-on in the controversial Limon Hossain shooting case.

Talking to bdnews24.com, Madhu said such delays could lead to erosion in common man's faith in the justice system as well as in the institution of government itself. "So, it will be in the fitness of things only to initiate credible and impartial investigations into the cases in public eye."

Besides, she insisted, the need of the hour is that the government be fair not only in its intent to fetch justice to those wronged, but also be seen pursuing fairly the cause of the victims to soothe the ruffled feathers.

A London-based official of the Amnesty International, Madhu finds the action(s) vis-a-vis Limon case a 'convoluted' one.

"The RAB chief said 'Limon could be a victim of crossfire'...then the man retracted from his statement, and the boy (Limon) was labelled a 'terrorist'...then prime minister's defence advisor claimed 'Limon was not a target of RAB', and then again head of the home ministry's probe committee in Limon case said 'It (the investigation) was not the focus of his probe to find whether Limon is a criminal'...?"

"After all, what are they up to and what's that they are trying to prove? Maybe, they are themselves not sure about where they should head for... Everybody is so different (in describing the case) from the other...!"

The case has gone beyond the borders of Bangladesh, said the deputy director of Asia-Pacific Programme of Amnesty International. "That's why Amnesty International's here. We have been keeping an eye on the case since the beginning."

"I talked to Limon himself...he lost one of his legs in the so-called elite force's firing. Now he seems at a loss whom to approach for justice!" the lady sounded actually aghast at the sequence of events.

Madhu said she has prepared a report on the Limon case, which she would be handing over to the government, and request for justice and rehabilitation of the boy 'at the earliest', since "Limon is yet to get even any compensation from the government".

Talking about RAB or Rapid Action Battalion, she said the complaints are far too many.

The force was formed in 2004 in the midst of a crime wave and played a key role in confronting Islamist militants responsible for a spate of bombings that killed dozens of people, "but today people know it as a 'death squad'."

"A medicine that suits you now may not be good for you for all times to come. That's the case with RAB."

They shot Limon to disability; a mother of six, Rahima Begum received their bullet in the head in Panchabati in Bhairab; and a teenager Shuvo is killed in Bou Bazar area of Narayanganj when the 'elite force' RAB were conducting a drive against drug-peddlers... "Too much of coincidence," says Madhu.

The Amnesty International would rather see the 'elite force' tamed, if not disbanded, to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

bdnews24.com/nir/0845h

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