A landmark verdict on ‘shootout’

In a landmark verdict on January 31, 2022, a Cox's Bazar court handed down death sentence to suspended police officers Pradeep Kumar Das and Liaqat Ali in connection with the "pure and simple murder" of Sinha Rashed Khan. After over a year of speculation over the fate of the case, the verdict not just confirms what happened to the ill-fated retired major, but also marks the first time that law enforcement officers in the country have been brought to book for staging a "shootout." The court also sentenced six others, including three cops, to life while acquitting seven other police personnel. This is truly a momentous occasion for the victim's family as well as the defenders of human rights. 

While we await the release of the full verdict, our reading of the judgment leaves no room for doubt about the July 31, 2020 incident: that it was not a shootout, as the police had claimed, but a premeditated murder planned in cold blood. We get a rare minute-by-minute glimpse into—and indeed a judicial acknowledgment of—how a shootout/crossfire story is cooked up. We have heard several variations of this story in the past. But what all of them have in common is how the law enforcers encounter a "threat" from a "criminal" or his associates, and how they are "forced" to respond (read: fatally shoot) in self-defence. Now that the court has laid bare the truth behind the Sinha shootout drama, is it possible that some of the many such incidents reported over the past years were staged too? Should those accused law enforcers be put on trial to check if there were vested interests at play?

Unfortunately, when it comes to a shootout or crossfire incident, a case is hardly ever filed by the victim's family. Police don't want to record such cases. Even when they do, they hastily file the final report with the court, saying they had found nothing. Meanwhile, bodies of the victims keep piling up. In 2020, the year Sinha died, 195 people were killed in "shootouts" across the country, according to Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK). 

Interestingly, during Pradeep Kumar Das' two-year tenure as OC of Teknaf police station, over 80 people were killed in 48 "gunfights" (another code for extrajudicial killing) involving Teknaf police alone. After Pradeep's conviction, it is only logical that those incidents are investigated to check if there was also any foul play. We urge the appropriate authorities to take steps in this regard. 

The Sinha verdict has opened the gate to a world that was shrouded in official secrecy until now. There is no turning back now. It is more urgent than ever to unearth the underlying truths, and we urge the government—particularly the home ministry—to launch internal investigations into all such cases of extrajudicial killings committed either by police or other security forces. The judiciary may also follow suit with its own investigations. The victims' families should also be empowered and assisted to pursue justice.