Photo-collected.
Special Correspondent //

Abu Saeed was in front of everyone when the procession of students of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur went to the intersection of the park on July 16 to demand reform of quota in government jobs. Abu Saeed stood with his hands extended while others moved away in the face of police obstruction. This young unarmed protester was shot one by one by the police. He died before being taken to the hospital.

Not only Rangpur, law and order forces have fired indiscriminately in Dhaka and other parts of the country to suppress the anti-discrimination student movement. Among them, at least three categories of lethal weapons have been reported to kill people. A large number of people were killed from July 16 to the day after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government. So far 758 people have been reported killed. Most of them were killed by lethal weapons. According to the non-governmental human rights organization Human Rights Support Society, 70 percent of the deaths are due to shooting.

Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence Lab has verified two videos of the shooting of Abu Saeed in Rangpur. The agency said, using satellite images, they saw that Abu Saeed was shot from a distance of 15 meters. Saeed was not a threat to the police at the time. Apparently the shooting was intentional.

Video footage of six more such incidents has been analyzed by various fact-checkers and organizations. It shows that, in many cases, shootings have taken place despite the absence of circumstances such as the exercise of the ‘right of self-defence’ by law enforcement personnel.

During the students’ movement, 341 people were killed from July 16 to August 3. Analysis of the death data of 175 people showed that 137 had fatal gunshot wounds and 22 had gunshot wounds. Related sources said that many of them were victims of ‘AIM fire’ or target shooting.

A further 417 deaths have been reported since August 4. Among them, 116 people were killed in one day on August 4 across the country. On that day, besides law and order forces, many leaders and workers of Awami League were also seen shooting with lethal firearms at the agitators.

According to eyewitnesses, shotguns, guns and pistols were seen in the hands of Awami League leaders and activists who participated in the attacks in different parts of the country including Dhaka. Rifles were also seen here and there. Local sources said that MP Nizam Hazari’s followers also opened fire with AK-47 and M-16 rifles in Feni.

After Sheikh Hasina fled the country on August 5, there have been attacks on Awami League leaders and workers, as well as police stations and police stations. During this time, several policemen were killed. On August 5, the police also fired heavily from the affected police stations. According to the police, they were forced to shoot in self-defense.

However, the agitators say that since the morning of August 5, the police have fired indiscriminately at various places. Most of the shootings happened in Jatrabari. Apart from this, apart from the incident of attack on the police station, from July 16 to August 4, the police fired heavily at various places.

Analysis of data from law enforcement sources, ammunition experts, various hospitals and fact-checking organizations, and videos and photos of weapons used during the clashes showed that shotguns, pistols, and Chinese rifles—these three categories of weapons—were used more frequently in firing on protesters. . Weapons like SMG and LMG are also used in some places. Apart from this, tear gas shells and sound grenades have been used to disperse.
According to the relevant sources, two types of bullets, rubber and lead, were used from the shotgun. Many people call these bullets bullet bullets. Because there are small balls (splinters) inside its cartridge. Depending on the number of balls, size and distance to the target, pellets can also be fatal. As was the case with Abu Saeed of Rangpur. Post-mortem, it was found that his chest and abdomen were lacerated with splinters.

According to police sources, now the police forces are using 7 point 62 and 9 mm caliber weapons. But the use of 9mm pistol is more. Apart from this, the police have 7 points 62 mm Chinese rifle, sub machine gun (SMG) and light machine gun (LMG).

A retired senior army officer, an ammunition expert, said that the effective range of the 9 mm pistol is 50 meters. However, depending on the situation, even if it hits at a distance of several hundred meters, it can be fatal. A semi-automatic 7 point 62 mm Chinese rifle bullet is lethal if it hits someone within 300 meters.

And depending on the type of cartridge, a shot from a shotgun can cause death if it hits within 40-50 meters.

Human rights organization Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence Lab has verified several shootings and said that law enforcement forces have illegally used gunfire on protesting students. Lethal firearms such as assault rifles have been used seamlessly.

Apart from this, law and order forces used gas guns, sound grenades and armored vehicles to fire tear gas shells. Among them were expired tear gas shells. There have even been incidents of sound grenades and tear gas shells being dropped on protesters from above by helicopters. There are also allegations of firing from helicopters.

Amnesty International says tear gas has been used dangerously on students even in confined spaces.

RAB said that from July 17 to 23, only one of their helicopters flew 98 times through different areas of Dhaka, Gazipur, Narsingdi and Narayanganj. Director of RAB’s Law and Media Wing Lt. Col. Munim Ferdous claimed to the media that only sound grenades and tear gas shells were fired from their helicopters, and no shots were fired.

Concerned individuals and human rights organizations say that the excessive use of force and firing by members of law and order forces around the quota reform movement violates Bangladesh’s constitution, penal code and police regulations. Such actions also violate the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Violation of the law in terms of-

According to Section 153 of the Police Regulations, police can use firearms in three cases. These are to exercise the right of individuals to defend themselves and protect property, to disperse unlawful assemblies and to effect arrest.

Under Sections 100 and 103 of the Penal Code 1860, police are empowered to cause the death of attackers in certain cases, including causing death, grievous hurt and mischief by arson. Bangladesh Police Regulation (PRB) 153 states that the police can use force to protect themselves or public property from attack.

However, section 99 of the Penal Code has determined the extent of this force. According to this section, no more force than is necessary for self-defense can be used. Apart from that, as per Section 102 of the Penal Code, the right to use force in self-defence also ends when the threat of harm ceases.

Kadruddin Shishir, Bangladesh Fact Check Editor of the international news agency AFP, verified a video footage from Rampura area of ​​the capital. He said that a protesting youth suddenly fell at the mouth of Wapda Road on Rampura-Mouchak road. Analyzing the images and video footage taken from Google Street View, it was found that a bullet fired from the position of the BGB team, which was 100 meters or so away, hit the young man’s body.

Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence Lab analyzed footage from the area and reported on July 25 that several police and BGB officers were seen standing next to an armored vehicle (APC). An officer fired two shots from an assault rifle.

Amnesty International, after verifying the video, said such firearms are not appropriate tools for policing gatherings. Such weapons should only be used when strictly necessary to meet an imminent threat of death or serious injury.

Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Noor Mohammad said, patience is required to control any protest or angry mobs on the streets. It is not the police’s job to shoot someone as a target. Apart from that, people in houses, balconies and roofs were shot, some died – these are very horrible amateur acts.

According to this former IGP, now political involvement has become more than professionalism in the police. This is why they happened. Otherwise there is no reason to shoot like this. The police had moved away from a place of professionalism.

Abuse of ‘Extreme Measures’

Even if an assembly is illegal, police regulations provide for a warning before firing to disperse it. Regulation 153 (c) states, ‘After all efforts and measures, firing may be ordered as a last resort when it becomes absolutely necessary to protect life and property.’ But in the PRB it is treated as a ‘last resort’.

However, according to local accounts and various video footages, during the protests and clashes surrounding the quota reform movement, the law and order forces fired many shots at unarmed people as well. They misused the ‘extreme system’.

Meanwhile, Prothom Alo sources have confirmed that they have visited 31 hospitals in Dhaka, between 16 and 22 July, 6 thousand 703 injured people have received treatment in these hospitals. Among them, 964 people were admitted to the National Orthopedic Hospital and Rehabilitation Institute from July 18 to 22. 231 people were shot among them.

Police Regulation 154 mentions, ‘must be controlled and directed at all times for the purpose prescribed; No major damage can be done unless absolutely necessary and firing must be stopped as soon as the objective is accomplished.’

155 of the Police Regulations on how to fire, states, ‘The officer directing the firing shall control the firing in such a way as to accomplish the purpose speedily with minimum damage. Shooting over the heads of the assembled crowd or at any other target outside the assembly is strictly prohibited. Because, it has the possibility of distant innocent people getting hurt. The distance, target and number of shots must be specified before giving the order to fire.’ Apart from that, there is an instruction to stop firing even if there is a slight tendency of the crowd to move and disperse.

But during the anti-discrimination student movement these instructions of the police regulations were not followed. Due to which many people have been shot while inside the house, on the balcony and on the roof. In only three hospitals of Dhaka, 615 people were treated for eye injuries by shrapnel and rubber bullets.

Four video footages from the Jatrabari area show police firing at unarmed protesters at close range. This includes the shooting of protesters hiding on the side of the road in front of the Jatrabari police station. In another video, a few policemen are seen firing indiscriminately at two men while evacuating a dead man. In another video, a policeman suddenly shoots a man as he walks away after being severely beaten. At that moment the person fell down. Another video shows a man shooting a man with the barrel of a weapon. In none of these four incidents, the police were found to be in a state of attack.

In such a situation, Additional Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Md. applied for voluntary retirement from police service on August 11. Moniruzzaman. He wrote there that in the last 10 years, the concerned ministers of the Awami League government had to obey illegal orders at various times. Many people including children and teenagers were killed by the field level policemen on the violent and barbaric orders of the top level police officials.

Shoot unarmed people too.

In a video footage from the capital’s Banshri area, a man sheltering on the cornice of an under-construction building is seen being shot several times. The man tried to escape by hanging from the under-construction building in Rampura. After a while, the police shot at him.

His name is Amir Hossain, lives in Meradia of Banshri. Shop worker by profession. He took shelter in the under-construction building when he got into a clash while returning home that day. Going there, the police shot him six times in both legs.

The concerned persons say, even for arrest, unarmed people cannot be shot like this.

The newly appointed Inspector General of Police (IGP) said. Moinul Islam said, due to some ambitious, unprofessional officials and not following the accepted principles of force in the formulation of operations, human rights violations have occurred. The process of identifying those involved and taking legal action has started.

‘It felt like war’

Article 3 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 states that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. Section 5 of this declaration states that no one shall be tortured or subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

Security analyst Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain spoke to the media on August 3 before taking over as an adviser to the interim government. He said, “unarmed people have been shot unnecessarily everywhere, right and left, wherever they want.” Deadly weapons have been used. I have never seen a more chaotic and uncontrolled firing. A helicopter was also used at this time. It looked like a state of war.

On August 11, M Sakhawat Hussain told reporters after taking over the role of adviser that the police have been treated like a baton force. Lethal weapons have been given to the police. It’s not right.

Bangladesh signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966 in 2000. Because of this, Bangladesh has a legal obligation to comply with the agreement. Article 6(1) of the Convention states that every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No person can be deprived of life at will.