A Joypurhat court has ordered legal action against nine individuals, in connection with the killing of Shafinur Islam Shafin in a "crossfire" incident while in Rab custody in 2016, that the family is now claiming was a fake encounter resulting in Shafin's extrajudicial killing. The accused include the then-director general of the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), Benazir Ahmed, who retired as IGP, and then-Police Superintendent Molla Nazrul Islam. The directive comes as part of a case filed eight years after the incident, seeking justice for the death. The case was filed on Sunday by Nazrul Islam, father of the deceased, from Chokmohan village in Joypurhat's Sadar upazila. In total, the case involves 25 accused individuals, with the court initially focusing on the first nine named in the complaint. Senior District and Sessions Judge Md. Mojibur Rahman instructed that legal measures be taken against the nine, ordering the Police Superintendent to report back within 24 hours. Former IGP Benazir faces case over second passport through forgery In addition to Benazir and Nazrul, the others against whom the court ordered action include Major Hasan Arafat of the Joypurhat Rab camp, deputy assistant director (DAD) Md Firoz Ali Khan, sub-inspector (SI) Enamul Haque, DAD Mahfuzar Rahman, SI Debashish Nandi of Sadar Police Station, Rab Naik Habibur Rahman, and Constable Mehedi Hasan. All the posts mentioned date from the time of the incident. According to the case details, the incident began on September 26, 2016, when members of the Joypurhat Rap camp arrested Shafinur Islam Shafin around 9pm from Dhaka's Uttara area. Approximately one month later, on the night of October 25, at around 9:30 pm, Shafin was reportedly shot and killed at an abandoned paddy field owned by Helal in Dadaura Nandigram, Joypurhat Sadar upazila. Plaintiff's lawyer, Adv Mahfuzur Rahman Helal, informed the press that the court had acknowledged the allegations against the first nine accused and had ordered the Joypurhat SP to take legal action accordingly. The court mandated that the SP update it on the steps taken within a 24-hour period. Speaking over the phone, SP Muhammad Abdul Wahab confirmed that "legal action is being taken as per the court's directive."

Shafiul Alam, a resident of Ghumdhum’s Jalpaitoli, a once quiet village in the border district of Bandarban, is now counting his days wracked by a complex cocktail of human emotions. His life took an unexpected turn on February 5, as his mother lost her life when a stray mortar shell fired from Myanmar landed in their under-construction house, which also left his two children with shrapnel wounds on their feet, and took the life of a Rohingya construction worker. He is not even in a situation to grieve properly as he has to think about how to treat his children with little to no help. The children only survived as they were inside their home at the time, while their grandmother was serving lunch to the construction worker.   2 SSC exam centres along BD-Myanmar border relocated Bandarban's Deputy Commissioner Shah Mojahid Uddin and Superintendent of Police Saikat Shahin later paid a visit to the family. A mere donation of Tk 20,000 was offered as immediate assistance, but the bereaved family expressed dissatisfaction with the government's support process.  Their plea is clear: they seek international intervention to ensure justice and an end to their current situation of fearing for their lives every moment of the day. Shafiul is not alone, the repercussions of Myanmar's civil war extend beyond Shafiul's family. Thousands of bordering residents of the country are now passing each day fearing for their lives. Don’t want to share specific date but Myanmar security forces to go back soon: Hasan Mahmud In Tumbru and surrounding areas, at least 12 people have been shot and injured, their suffering further exacerbated by the lack of medical treatment and government support. The victims are now only pleading for assistance, to save their lives which reveals a bitter reality of the toll that geopolitical strife takes on ordinary lives. Unidentified man’s body found along Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Cox’s Bazar

A police officer in Munshiganj was ‘closed’ and attached to the district police line for allegedly trying to extort money through threats of crossfire from a businessman. The accused is Mohammad Suman, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Gazaria police station. Mahfuzur Rahman Al Mamun, Superintendent of Police (SP) of Munshiganj, said the officer was closed and attached to the district police line today. The businessman, Shakil Farazi, said the police officer informed him on Sunday that a narcotic case was filed against him at Narayanganj port police station. The ASI picked him up on a white microbus on Monday morning, he said. The microbus went to a remote area of Char Baushia area. Shakil said there were three other persons in the microbus- constable Rafiqul, unidentified man who claimed to be an ASI, and the driver. “They held me at gunpoint and demanded TK 2 lakh,” he said. They snatched away his mobile phone, and money, beat him, and tried to handcuff him, he said. Meanwhile, some locals gathered on the spot and rescued him. The accused ASI, Suman, told UNB that one of his friends, a police officer at Narayanganj port police station, informed him about a case filed against the businessman. “My friend came to Gazaria, and we took Shakil there to talk in ‘private’.”  

A suspected top terroriswas killed in a ‘gunfight’ with Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members in Cox’s Bazar municipality area Saturday early morning. The deceased was identified as Ashraf Ali alias Ashu Ali, 25. He was wanted in 12 cases including of murder. Wing Commander of Rab-15 Ajim Ahmed said Ashu Ali was shot dead during a gunfight with Rab members in Shahittika Palli area of city’s ward-6. Also read: 2 killed in Cox’s Bazar ‘gunfights’ In the last three years at least five people were killed by Ashu Ali, Rab sources  said. Locals said he and his gang Ashu Bahini established a reign of terror at Shahittika Palli and Samiti Bazar area was dominated. In 2019 when leader of the gang Amir Khan was killed in a gunfight with police, Ashu Ali became the head of the gang, they said. Also read: 2 killed, 10 injured in Cox's Bazar gunfight

A Feni court on Tuesday ordered the district’s police chief to investigate a case filed against 11 policemen, including the former officer-in-charge of Chhagalnaiya Police Station, and two informants.   They allegedly tried to kill a pickup driver and implicate him in a false drug case last year. The victim had lost a leg during the incident and has been living an inhuman life since then.   Feni Judicial Magistrate Quamrul Hasan took the case into cognisance and ordered the police superintendent to conduct an investigation by an additional superintendent level police officer and submit the report within 15 days.   Gias Uddin Dulal filed the case on Tuesday at Feni Judicial Magistrate Court against former Chhagalnaiya Police Station in-charge SM Murshed and 10 others for implicating him in a Yaba case and attempting to kill him, said Giasuddin Nannu, a counsel of the plaintiff.   The other accused are— sub-inspectors Shahidul Islam, Delwar Hossain, Khorshed Alam, assistant sub-inspectors Firoz Alam and Mahbubul Alam Sarkar, constables Sukanta Barua, Main Uddin, Nurul Amin, Sirajul Islam, Nurul Amin and informers Abul Hashem and Abul Khayer.   The police officers are now posted at different police stations.

Seven members of Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka police were suspended on Thursday for allegedly extorting money from a businessman threatening to kill him in crossfire.