Killings in crossfire militant acts: BNP

Terming killings in crossfire militant acts, BNP on Thursday called upon the government to uphold the constitution and the rule of law by stopping extrajudicial killing.
“The government has to decide whether it’ll keep the judiciary and the Supreme Court for trial or it’ll kill people by law enforcers for political reasons,” said BNP joint secretary general Mahbubuddin Khokan.
He came up with the remarks at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office arranged to register protest against the killing of a BNP leader in his home constituency in a reported incident of crossfire. Khokan, also the secretary of Supreme Court Bar Association, alleged that Sonaimuri upazila BNP leader Towhidul Islam was killed in a planned way under the supervision of Noakhali Police Super Anisur Rahman in the name of crossfire.
He claimed plainclothes police arrested Towhid along with a JCD leader, Faisal Hossain, from in front of the Jatiya Press Club in the capital on Tuesday. Later, they were taken to Noakhali police form the Paltan police station as per the requisition by the Noakhali Police super on Wednesday morning. Khokan said sensing that police might kill the BNP men in crossfire, he and other local BNP leaders and lawyers contacted Noakhali DC and SP and requested them not to kill the two unlawfully.
Despite their requests, Towhid was killed by the police at 3am on Wednesday, the BNP leader alleged.
“This is a political killing by the law enforcers. We demand the Prime Minister and the Home Minister ensure exemplary punishment of those involved in the incident, including the SP and local ruling party leaders,” Khokan said.
He also called upon the UN Human Rights body, Amnesty International, other global rights watchdogs and Bangladesh Human Rights Commission to look into the incident and other extrajudicial killings taken place in Bangladesh recently.
He alleged that political killing has been going on regularly in the same style in the recent time mainly after the January 5 election. “The government has totally failed to ensure security for the people and their property. We hope the Prime Minister will soon take measures for establishing the rule of law. “
Khokan alleged that the repression and secret killings across the country by the current regime have outshined the brutality by the Pakistani autocratic regime. “We hope the Prime Minister of independent Bangladesh won’t follow Pakistani autocrats. She’ll uphold the spirit of liberation and restore human rights and uphold the constitution.”
He also called upon the journalists to play a vital role in forcing the government to stop extrajudicial killing and restore the rule of law.
Sought his reaction to the verdict of the sensational Chittagong arms haul cases, the BNP leader declined to make any comment.
However, party assistant office secretary Shamimur Rahman Shamim said BNP is likely to give a formal reaction to the verdict at a press briefing on Friday morning.