Home mum, HR commission vocal

Custodial Deaths, Crossfire
Home mum, HR commission vocal
The National Human Rights Commission yesterday decided that dealing with extrajudicial killings and custodial deaths will be its top priority.
The same day the parliamentary standing committee on the home ministry however glossed over the issue, which has been much-talked about following three recent deaths in police custody.
A Jatiya Party lawmaker raised the subject at the JS body meeting, but members of the ruling Awami League including Home Minister Sahara Khatun showed no interest to have a discussion.
When JP lawmaker Mujib-ul-Haque Chunnu wanted to know why and how the deaths occurred, the home minister and home secretary kept mum, said meeting sources.
On the other hand, the human rights commission at its meeting acknowledged the gravity of the issue and decided to pursue an end to extrajudicial killings, disappearance and torture of people in custody.
After the meeting, first since its reconstitution on June 22, the commission said if the government fails to address the problem, it will initiate its own investigation to identify the persons responsible and file cases against them, if necessary.
“From now on, we will press the government to act immediately in case of any extrajudicial killing or death in custody,” NHRC Chairman Prof Mizanur Rahman told The Daily Star.
He also said NHRC’s top priorities for the next year would be working against violation of human rights of women and children and citizens in detention.
JS PANEL MEET
At the parliamentary committee meeting, only Inspector General of Police Nur Mohammad gave a little hope, saying the House body would be briefed about the issue at its next meeting.
Major Gen (retd) Abdus Salam, chairman of the committee, told reporters that they would seek to know in detail about the three alleged custodial deaths once the probe is over.
Jamiruddin Sircar, lone member from the opposition BNP, was not present at the meeting attended among others by AL lawmakers Mirza Azam, M Mujibul Haq, M Habibur Rahman, M Nurul Islam Sujan, Sanjida Khanam and M Shafiqul Islam.
Lock-up deaths have recently caused concern among people and rights organisations at home and abroad.
Against this backdrop, the High Court on Monday came down heavily on police and issued a set of directives for the government to stop custodial deaths.
It also asked the government to conduct an independent probe into such deaths.
Last year, 229 people died in custody of law enforcement agencies, according to a report of rights group Ain O Salish Kendra.
At least 23 people died in Rab and police encounters and two in ‘shootouts’ involving the joint forces, the report said.
In the first six months of this year, 61 people were killed by law enforcers. Of them, 26 were killed by Rapid Action Battalion.
During the same period, 41 people died in custody.

Courtesy of The Daily Star