39 extra-judicial killings in 6 weeks

One more person was killed in crossfire in Barisal on Tuesday taking the total of extra-judicial killings across the country during the last six weeks from 1 August to 15 September to 39. According to UNB, A regional leader of the outlawed 'Sarbahara Party' was killed in a gunfight between his accomplices and law-enforcers in Shwashanghat area undern Batajore Union of Gournadi upazila early Tuesday.(TBT Report)The deceased was identified as Babul Sardar, 35, regional leader of Zia Group of Sarbahara party and a resident of Batajore area.Police said a patrol team of Rapid Action Battalion and police was deployed on Monday in the area where crimes were reported rampant in recent days. But, some members of the Zia Group fired gun shots on the patrol team at about 3:30am, forcing them to fire back that triggered a gunfight. "Babul was caught in the line of fire and died on the spot while his accomplices fled the scene," said a spot account of the incident.Earlier, on Monday two more alleged terrorists were killed in crossfire in separate incidents in Dhaka and Kushtia. With them at least 38 people were killed in shootout with RAB and Police from August 1 to September 14. According to Human rights watchdog Odhikar 19 people were killed in crossfire with RAB and police in August and most of them occurring in the southwestern region. The human-rights organizations have long been asking the government to stop the killings terming them extra judicial. The High Court on June 29 asked the government to explain why killing without trial in so-called crossfire or encounter will not be declared illegal, and why departmental and criminal actions should not be taken against those who perpetrate such killings in custody and outside. RAB recently said as many as 577 people were killed in 'crossfire' in 472 incidents until August 31 since the formation of the elite force on March 26, 2004.