Kazi Reazul Hoque, Chairman, National Human Rights Commission

Kazi Reazul Hoque, Chairman, National Human Rights Commission: The killings of Cox’s Bazar municipal councilor or others need to be probed by a judicial magistrate, to unearth the truth. When neither police nor RAB are given the right to kill in an extrajudicial manner, the state too has to have the legal ground to take punitive measures against any police or RAB member.
The legal ground is actually the executive inquiry.
Ekram murder is an inhuman act, which is so touchy and heartbreaking as well. The incident needs to be investigated fairly. If anybody is found guilty, he or she has to be brought to justice. According to the law, if any killing by shooting is not justified in any judicial inquiry, the death is considered a murder. Those firing gunshots someone to death will be identified as killers and face lawsuits. So we have to make a final decision by following such procedures in case of Ekram killing. Those who committed crime have to be tried. A judicial executive probe is needed to confirm such a crime.
Nobody can reach a conclusion on how the Ekram killing took place. A magistrate has to be engaged in an executive inquiry over the incident, whose report will be completely different from the police report. Nothing can be told about the killing, instantly. The district magistrate or deputy commissioner is empowered to engage a magistrate to probe such incidents. Human rights are extremely violated in the ongoing anti-drug raids, but such drives are needed to make a narcotics-free society. However, the process of the raids has many questions being raised. The raids have to be carried out in a legal way. If they are not done conforming the law, it will be unfortunate. So the incidents of such killings have to be probed through an executive inquiry, only to bring the people responsible to justice.
If such a measure is not taken, the panic, fear and tension among the people will not disappear. Moreover, the incidents of killings are always concerning. Nobody including drug peddlers, security personnel and whosoever is above the law. All have to abide by the law and the person who is guilty has to be brought to book.
Based on an interview by Ashiq Rahman, translated by Sayeed Muhammad .