Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) is expressing grave concern and strong condemnation over the death of three people in a police firing during a protest by locals against the assault on a young man and his mother in Kalihati, Tangail. Several people also sustained bullet injuries in the firing.

According to media reports, the youth and his mother were assaulted on last Tuesday in Satutia village, Kalihati. It was also alleged that the mother was raped in the presence of her son. On Friday, local inhabitants protested by blocking the Tangail-Mymensingh Highway and demanded that those accused of assaulting the man and his mother be given exemplary punishment. It has been reported by media that the protesters vandalised a number of vehicles and were also said to have attempted to attack a police station. Besides, they hurled brick chips at police, who responded by throwing tear gas shells. Police said they later charged batons on the demonstrators and blank fired in order to bring the situation under control.

But it is not clear to us how so many people could be hit by bullets after blank shots were fired. According to local inhabitants, police indiscriminately fired at the protesters.
To hold protests are people’s democratic right whilst the act of resorting to violence during demonstrations cannot be supported.

On the other hand, members of law enforcement agencies should also be guided by certain rules while maintaining law and order. There should be a balance in how they respond, which means they should use and not exert more force than is needed to control a particular situation.

ASK demands an independent and impartial investigation into the incident. ASK also demands that the result of the inquiry whether police acted in a balanced way while exerting force be revealed to the people. If that was not the case, we strongly demand that those responsible for the incident be subjected to legal actions and the victims – both injured and dead – be compensated accordingly.