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MORTAL THREAT TO DEMOCRACY Police brutality transcends bounds of tolerance M. Shahidul Islam They may appear frighteningly surreal, but they are real-life thrillers woven by intricate tales of riveting suspense, unforgivable intrigues and unacceptable brutality. In mid-June, an undercover Captain from the RAB was challenged by an on-duty cop, only to be taken into custody instantly, and, despite having disclosed his real identity, he was mercilessly beaten to a coma. The 'on-deputation' army Captain is now struggling to survive at Dhaka's Combined Military Hospital (CMH). If that seems like excessive police brutality, see what followed. The cops of the nation have transcended all tolerable bounds of patience in recent days and no one seems to care about their excesses any more. Last week, at least three custodial deaths occurred in the nation's capital alone. Dhaka city inhabitants Mizanur, Mojibur and Babul Gazi were like millions others who call this city their home, but they were brutally murdered in police custody, raising further concern about why and how the police force of the nation has gone so much out of bound, turning instantly into a predator of the masses which it is constitutionally mandated to protect. Cops, corruption and murder All these murders are related to police pressure on victims for bribe. Mojibur's family members allege police arrested him on July 1 from Savar area and tortured him to death before dumping his body into river Turag, upon his refusal to pay Taka 20,000 as bribe. They say police had warned the family of such a consequence if the bribe was not paid. The same day, a businessman was killed by police and another was critically injured. The deceased, Mizanur Rahman, 35, owned a sound systems business and lived a quiet life at Baridhara neighbourhood of the capital, along with his family. The injured, Manik, 30, is now terminally ill at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Both the victims' families accused police of seeking bribe from them and of receiving threats of consequences, if not paid. Then there are politically motivated persecutions of unimaginable magnitudes. Amnesty International (AI) said on July 2 that the security forces had used excessive force during a raid on the house of BNP leader Mirza Abbas during June 27 countrywide hartal for which 'the government must offer an explanation.' Incidentally on March 12, a US State Department Human Rights Report on Bangladesh said 'law enforcement officials were responsible for 154 deaths in custody in 2009, representing a 3 percent increase from the previous year'. Excessive police brutality is also discernible from many non-political incidents. Miles away from the capital, also on July 1, police opened fire into a crowd of demonstrators who were simply demanding the construction of a speed breaker on the Dhaka-Mawa Road at Sirajdikhan (Munshiganj), killing one and injuring 50 others. The site had witnessed a recent accident-related death of a school-going child and provoked legitimate anger of the local inhabitants. But police chose to shoot them down like wild ducks. Police is also treating picketing garment workers with similar disdain and contempt, all over the country. Blackmailing A highly- placed source within the police force claims the force members are under increased pressure to pay huge sums of graft to their political bosses, locally and nationally. Though it may be untrue, it is perhaps a convenient alibi to conceal the force's random acts of criminality. Latest police tactic demonstrated innumerable attempts to blackmail people to collect money. This tactic is wrapped in a rarely seen mischief that brands a selective person as an accused in any non-existent case, only to extract money from the innocent victim. Mostafa Kamal, an officer of an agricultural bank in Bhola, has recently complained with DMP Commissioner's office that he had been informed in May by one Sub Inspector, Jinnath Ali, of Bhola police station of being an accused of a drug trafficking case at Dhaka's Pollobi police station (fictitiously referred to as case No-65). He was then asked to pay taka 50,000 bribe to have his name removed from the charge. Kamal found no trace of being an accused in any such case, as he discovered upon obtaining copies of documents from the Dhaka CMM court on June 8. Similar tactic is being used by police all over the country, according to media reports and private sources. A common denominator in most of these incidents is that they involve demand for bribe by police, prompting one to presume that police is in desperation to earn more bribe than they usually do, due perhaps, at least partly, to pressure from the top for an incremental amount of ill gotten funds or 'chanda'. The passivity of concerned ministers, as well as of other concerned executives, in reining in police brutality and the blackmailing-despite serious media uproar and filing of specific complaints with evidence-corroborates this assertion to a certain extent. The main reason of police's random violation of code of conduct, however, lies in the political interferences by the people in power. Police and politics These incidents prove one thing, almost incontrovertibly: That our police force is not only corrupt, it is deeply political. It knows how to blame the politicians to shield from censorship in order to further personal gains. And this is the most dangerous aspect of the society's speedy slide toward the precipice of anarchy. Our police force has lost the remnant of the public trust it has had until now. One of the leading human rights watchdogs, Odhikar, said in its latest report that 61 people were killed in crossfire during the last 180 days alone. Data compiled by other research-based organizations portray a more horrific picture of how police and the ruling party goons are creating, in concert, a virtual reign of terror all across the country. This despicable political nexus offers more excuses to police to usurp its power and authority and dump the blames on politicians. Meanwhile, the Media Research and Training (MRT) disclosed in its recently released report that, on an average, 7 people were killed during the last 180 days, of them 123 were politically assassinated and 84 had died in the hands of law enforcers. The report claimed of 1301 murders having occurred during those six months, many of which have had hidden or transparent political underpinnings. Snubbed judiciary Yet, the most worrisome aspect of these tragedies is the depleted accountability by police and the helplessness of the judiciary to do anything about it. Despite a number of court orders having proscribed extrajudicial killings, police have chosen to persistently flout those orders, snubbing the highest courts of the nation; with shameless glee, intriguing audacity and criminal impunity. On July 5, the High Court once again moved on this matter and ordered the DMP commissioner to submit a report within two weeks on steps taken to stop deaths in police custody and directed the home secretary to form a committee, comprising of people other than police personnel, to investigate the incidents of the three recent killings that had occurred within the span of a week. This order came on the heel of similar such orders of the past having precious little impact on what one may call 'authoritative murders'; by the ones who are oath-bound to protect lives of the citizenry. This helplessness of the judiciary not only beacons the arrival of dire moments for the country's nascent democracy, a glance backward is bound to fill one's heart with loathe, regret and remorse. Forty-four people have so far been killed in custody since the High Court on December 14, 2009 asked the authorities not to kill any more people in 'crossfire' or 'encounter' until 'it hears a suo moto ruling made on the government' in connection with extrajudicial killings. Earlier, the Supreme Court issued a ruling on April 7, 2003, with specific guidelines relating to interrogation of accused in police custody and directed police not to extract confession under torture. All those judicial interventions bore little fruit as yet, as the recent occurrences indicate. Killings by law enforcers, especially police, have been phenomenally on the rise since the coming to office of the AL-led regime in January 2009. The incidents of July 1 brought that number to 199 since January 6, 2009; the day when the current regime assumed office. The court orders aside, 84, 723 specific complaints have been lodged against police brutality with appropriate authorities since mid-2005, not even a fraction of them being assigned, as yet, for any investigation, whatsoever.