Last week, Maruf Hossain Dukhu Mia was shot dead during an anti-narcotics operation by the Special Response Battalion (SRB) in Dhalpur, Jatrabari, Dhaka. His mother, Selina Begum, has rejected the law enforcement agency’s account of the incident. She alleged that police initially refused to cooperate when she went to file a case, later drafted the First Information Report (FIR) themselves and took her thumb impression. They also refused to provide her with a copy, citing the investigation. Dismissing the SRB’s claim that blank rounds were fired, she said, “It was not a blank round; it was a live bullet.”
The death has revived public fears and raised a disturbing question: Is the SRB following in the footsteps of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)?
Alleged extrajudicial killings during law enforcement operations are not new in Bangladesh. The now-defunct RAB faced longstanding allegations of such abuses. When the SRB was formed following RAB’s abolition, many hoped that these unlawful killings would become a thing of the past. The Dhalpur incident has, however, renewed those concerns.
Particularly troubling is the similarity between the SRB’s account and the narratives routinely presented by RAB after alleged gunfights. According to the FIR, around 120 to 130 people, including relatives of detainees, attacked law enforcement personnel with locally made weapons, firearms and brick fragments while officers were transporting the detainees. They allegedly attempted to free the detainees and fired indiscriminately. These claims must be independently verified, especially when the victim’s family disputes the official account.
Extrajudicial killings and so-called crossfire incidents have long been a major human rights concern. According to figures reported by Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) and the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS), at least 2,954 to 2,957 people were killed in alleged crossfire incidents or gunfights involving law enforcement agencies between RAB’s establishment in 2004 and June 2024. The CGS also reported 4,044 extrajudicial killings by state agencies between 2001 and 2021. Police and the Detective Branch were linked to approximately 48.05 per cent of these cases, while RAB accounted for around 31.90 per cent.
In many cases, victims were accused of drug trafficking, particularly the yaba trade, or extremist activities. Such allegations, however, can never justify taking a life without due process.
Articles 31 and 32 of the Constitution guarantee protection under the law and the right to life. No law enforcement agency has the authority to execute anyone without trial. Renaming RAB as the SRB cannot ensure meaningful reform unless institutional practices, accountability and respect for human rights also change.
The police chief’s declaration that “crossfire must never return” makes renewed allegations of such killings particularly alarming. Extrajudicial killings, custodial deaths, arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances remain among the gravest human rights violations, despite years of protests and demands for justice.
We strongly condemn extrajudicial killings, regardless of the agency involved or the allegations against the victims. The government must ensure an independent, impartial and transparent investigation into Dukhu Mia’s death and hold anyone responsible accountable under the law.
Public security and human rights are not mutually exclusive. The government must ensure that extrajudicial killings, custodial deaths, arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances end once and for all. Only genuine political will, institutional accountability and impartial justice can establish the rule of law and restore public confidence in law enforcement.
