End impunity for Rab men: HRW

The Bangladesh government should order an independent investigation and prosecute the Rapid Action Battalion members responsible for shooting and maiming Limon Hossain, Human Rights Watch said today.

The authorities finally dropped politically motivated charges against the teenager but have not taken action against his attackers, the New York-based rights organisation said in a report published in its website on October 20.

“The government needs to take action against the Rab officer who shot Limon, which led to a permanent disability, as well as those who perverted the course of justice by bringing phony charges against him.” said Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW.

Hossain, a college student at the time, was shot by Rab men in a bungled security operation in 2011. Hossain was in the fields near his village in Jhalakati on March 23, 2011, when members of Rab, a paramilitary security force, accused him of being a criminal and shot him at point-blank range. Four days later, Limon’s leg was amputated to save his life.

– Star Online Report