Killing_of_Ekramul_Haque
Killing of Ekramul Haque
Extrajudicial killing
Killing of Ekramul Haque refers to the extrajudicial killing of Ekramul Haque, councillor of Teknaf Municipality Ward three, by a unit of Rapid Action Battalion.[1] That resulted in Teknaf Municipality three times in a row as a candidate of Awami League.[2] Haque was a former President of Teknaf unit of Jubo League, the youth wing of Awami League, for 13 years.[3] Bangladesh government was carrying a crackdown on the narcotics trade and the death of more than a 100 suspects in shoot-outs with law enforcement agencies.[4][5] Since 2018 more than 200 individuals were killed in extrajudicial shootings by law enforcement agencies in Teknaf alone.[6]
On 27 May 2018, Ekramul Haque was killed in a gunfight with Rapid Action Battalion led by Squadron Leader Mohammad Rezaul Haque.[7][1] Major Md Ruhul Amin, Company Commander of Rapid Action Battalion-7, said there was a gunfight and then they found his body.[7] They also recovered 10,000 pieces of Ya ba and two guns.[7] Ranjit Kumar Barua, Officer in Charge of Tekhnaf Police Station, told the Dhaka Tribune that Haque was a listed as a drug dealer by the Ministry of Home Affairs.[7] Haque's brother, Ehsanul Haque Bahadur, said that his brother was picked by intelligence agents, who told him that they wanted to discuss a real estate deal.[2] Squadron Leader Nazmus Sakib was the head of the Tekhnaf Unit of Directorate General of Forces Intelligence was also involved in the shooting.[1]
Lieutenant Colonel Miftah Uddin Ahmed who was Commanding officer of Rapid Action Battalion-7 called Hoque a "godfather of Ya ba".[8][9] Major Amin said Haque was listed as a top drug dealer with the Department of Narcotics Control but the local official of Department of Narcotics Control denied knowing of any cases filed by the department against Haque.[2] Claims of Haque being a drug dealer were denied by his wife and Jabed Iqbal Chowdhury, President of Tekhnaf unit of Awami League.[2]