Horror still haunts them on outlaw trail

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Selina Begum from Khoksha upazila in Kushtia still relives the horror that took place two years ago.

Members of an outlawed party butchered her husband, Soharab Hossain, before her very eyes after hanging him by the legs from a tree.

Selina is among the few victims who filed cases with police against the outlaws, while the majority did not even dare to follow that path.

Ayesha Khatun’s husband Sharafat Hossain was the then chairman of Ganna union parishad in Jhenidah Sadar upazila when the outlaws slain him in a similar fashion, but she also refrained from seeking justice.

In the southwestern region of the country, there are over 300 people who, like Selina and Ayesha, lost their loved ones to the atrocities of the outlaws, but are too afraid to come forward and complain against the criminals.

Following the recent deaths of three top leaders of the infamous outlawed party Janojuddhdo, the situation seems to have improved a bit and an increased number of people whose relatives were murdered by the outlaws have been turning up to file cases with the police.

The three Janojuddhdo leaders who were killed last month are its chief Abdur Rashid Malitha alias Tapon alias Dada Tapon, his brother and second-in-command of the outfit Golam Hossain Akash alias Kaitta Akash and regional leader Abdur Rashid Tikka.

To make the best use of the improved scenario, the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) started a massive campaign, urging locals to come forward and join hands with the crime busters to nail the outlaws still at large.

Two meetings titled ‘Opinion Exchange Meeting to Create Mass Awareness for Rooting Out Terrorism’ were held yesterday at the premises of NM Pilot High School at Kumarkhali, Kushtia and at Shailakupa Government Degree College, Jhenidah.

Rab Director General (DG) Hasan Mahmood Khandkar, commanding officers of Rab battalions concerned, deputy commissioners, superintendents of police (SP), local dignitaries and a number of family members of the victims addressed the meetings.

The locals and families of the victims attending the meetings requested the Rab officials to crack down on the political godfathers of the outlaws as well, saying that the political godfathers of the outlaws have been harbouring the criminals for a long time.

A few other speakers urged all not to cast their vote for those who are abettors of the outlaws and criminals.

Tahmina, daughter of slain Ganna union parishad chairman Sharafat Hossain, told The Daily Star, “We could not even file a case against the killers of my father. My two brothers had to flee our home, fearing that they might also get killed — just like my father was.”

Janojuddhdo top brass Tapon’s armed goons killed her father on February 19 at Kaluhati Bagdipara near Shailmari Bazaar under Jhenidah Sadar upazila.

The Rab DG urged all to extend cooperation to law enforcement agencies, particularly the Rab, to uproot criminals from the society.

Since the inception of Rab, at total of 416 ’suspected criminals’ including outlaws have been killed in 10 southwestern districts in the country. Of them, 177 were killed in Kushtia alone.

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