Committee takes RAB chief's statement in 7-murder case

The public administration ministry's inquiry committee yesterday took the statement of RAB director general Mukhlesur Rahman regarding the involvement of members of the Rapid Action Battalion in the Narayanganj seven-murder incident. The seven-member inquiry committee was formed on directives of the High Court.

The RAB chief gave his statement from 2:30 to 4:45 in the afternoon in the room of Shahjahan Ali Mollah, head of the inquiry committee.

Earlier the committee had taken the statements of about 400 persons including Awami League's Narayanganj lawmaker Shamim Osman, Narayanganj city corporation mayor Selina Hayat Ivy, additional director general of RAB Col. Ziaul Ahsan and others.

Speaking to journalists after giving his statement to the inquiry committee, the RAB DG said that as head of the force, it was inevitable that they question him. He said that he told them everything they wanted to know and whatever was the truth.

He said that RAB had transparency and always adhered to the law, justice and the truth.

Later the committee head Shahjahan Ali told journalists that members of RAB had been accused in this case and some had been arrested. They talked to Mukhlesur Rahman concerning what he knew about the matter and also took his recommendations so ensure such incidents were not repeated in future.

Shahjahan Ali said that the report would soon be finalised, even if the main accused Nur Hossain was not available for interrogation.

Seven persons including Narayanganj city corporation councillor Nazrul Islam and lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarker were abducted on 27 April from the Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road. Six of their bodies were found floating in the river Sitalakkhya on 30 April and the seventh body was recovered the next day. It was alleged that a few members of RAB-11 had taken money from another councillor Nur Hossain to carry out these killings. Commander of RAB-11 Tareq Sayeed Mohammed, RAB officers Arif Hossain and MM Rana were first dismissed and then arrested. All three of them gave confessional statements and are presently in jail.