Please - Odhikar

Two Killed by Coastguards and Forest Guards in Lakshmipur
Odhikar did an on-spot investigation into the incident of the killing of two people and the injury
of more than 50 people by the coastguards and forest guards at Lakshmipur in February 2005.
At around 10 am on February 13, coastguards and forest guards from Bhola fell upon the
helpless people of Telichar at Telichar Chairman Bazar under the police station of Ramgati, on
the pretext of arresting robbers. At one stage, the local people launched a counter attack.
Subsequently, the coastguards and the forest guards fired 25 rounds of bullets killing two people
on the spot and leaving five others injured. As a result, the people flew into a rage and
surrounded them. They kept the coastguards and forest guards confined for about an hour.
During the incident the mob snatched three rifles from the coastguards. When alerted, a squad of
police from Chargajaria Police Camp rushed to the spot. The police brought the situation under
control and rescued the coastguards from the people 's wrath.
According to locals and the police, on the day of the incident, fourteen forest guards led by
Aminul Islam, the ranger of Daulatkhan Forest Department under the District of Bhola and
seven members of the coastguard led by Md. Shahidul Islam, the Zonal Commander of Bhola
Coastguard, conducted an operation at Telirchar under the police station of Ramgati to arrest
timber thieves and pirates. When they failed to recover the lost timber belonging to the forest
department, they started detaining local people indiscriminately in the name of nabbing pirates
in the adjacent areas of Chairman Bazar under Dakshincahar Gajaria Union on the bank of the
river Meghna. When the people formed a mob to protest the incident, members of the coastguard
opened fire on them, killing two people named Shahabuddin (45) and Ayub Ali (25) on the spot.
Two witnesses of the incident, Kamal and Abdur Rab, told Odhikar that at around 10 am on
February 13, two people named Farook and Ayub Ali were weeding a chili field adjacent to
Chairman Bazar. Suddenly they heard sound of whistle blowing and saw a group of people,
dressed in green and white with sticks in their hands rushing towards the "bazar." First they
interrogated one Farook, who was working in the chili field, about the timber thieves and the
pirates. At that time, three other people were working in the adjoining field. The members of the
coastguard and the forest guards started beating Farook with a stick when he denied any
knowledge about the pirates. Two people who were working in the next field then told the
guards that they had seen two unknown people running away. But the guards did not pay heed to
them. Rather they fell upon them too. When Farook was hurt, his wife informed the people of
the "char" (river island) of the incident. Getting the news, the people rushed to the spot and there
took place a row between them and the guards that led the guards to baton charge the people and
damaging their shops. Then people from the neighboring areas surrounded them and the
coastguard members opened fire on the crowd at random, leaving some people injured. In
counter action, the people fell upon them compelling them to escape. While escaping they kept
on firing and killed Ayub Ali (25) and seriously injured four others-Jasim, Sattar, Gafur and
Jakir.
When they (the guards) were trying to escape, the propeller of their trawler got stuck in a fishing
net. When Shahabuddin was trying to free his net from the heel of the trawler, the coast-guard
members fired at his head killing him on the spot. A team of coastguards managed to escape.
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Report 2005