Govt Reforms Body to Probe Police Killing of Ex-Army Major

The government has reconstituted the committee with a joint secretary-level official at the helm to investigate police shooting dead former army major Sinha Md Rashed Khan at a checkpoint in Cox’s Bazar, reports media.

The home ministry on Sunday made Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Chattogram Division additional commissioner for development, the head of the panel.

The commanding general officer or GOC of the 10th Infantry Division of the army and Cox's Bazar 's region commander will select a representative for the committee, who will be a member of the Armed Forces Division official serving at the office of the Prime Minister.

A deputy police inspector general delegate in Chattogram Range will serve as a committee member.

Md Shajahan Ali, the Cox’s Bazar additional district magistrate who had been the chief of the committee, has also been kept as a member.

The committee will investigate the reason behind the incident and the events that led to it. It will also make recommendations to prevent a recurrence.

Rashed, 36, had worked at the Special Security Force and retired two years ago.

His father late Ershad Khan was a deputy secretary at the finance ministry.

The former army officer had been staying at Nilima Resort in Himchhari with three others for around a month to shoot a travel documentary.

After his death on July 31 night, police said they fired in self-defence when he brandished a pistol after obstructing a search of his vehicle at the checkpoint at Shamlapur along the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive.

They also said they seized drugs from the vehicle and detained a person from the scene and another from the resort. Two cases have been initiated over the incident.

But the police account was greeted with disbelief and there was doubt over whether Rashed had indeed pointed the gun at the policemen.

There were allegations that members of the law-enforcement agency were late in taking him to the hospital.

Despite these concerns hanging heavily in the breeze, the Public Security Division of the Home Ministry declared the inquiry committee on Saturday.

The police also withdrew 20 of their members, including Liakat Ali, the officer-in-charge of Baharchhara investigation centre, “to ensure fair investigation” into Rashed’s killing.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Sunday declined to comment on the incident before the conclusion of the investigation.

If someone is found guilty, they will face action, he told reporters at his home.