Limon who lost leg in RAB shooting files complaint with ICT

FE Team | Published: November 13, 2024 00:38:06

Thirteen years after losing his leg in a shooting incident, Limon Hossain from Jhalakathi has filed a complaint with the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) against nine persons, including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's security advisor Tarique Ahmed Siddique and former RAB officer Ziaul Ahsan, reports bdnews24.com.
Limon submitted the complaint to the tribunal's chief prosecutor's office on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters, Limon said: "For 13 years, my family and I have faced constant harassment. I filed a case against a state security force, but despite five dismissals and multiple review petitions, we have seen no resolution."
"Since 2011, agents of the fascist [Awami League] government have repeatedly targeted my family and me with lawsuits and attacks. I now ask for state protection for us."
Limon also demanded a swift trial at the ICT to hold the perpetrators accountable and secure compensation.
Describing the RAB as a 'terrorist organisation', he called for its disbandment, saying, "Several of its members pointed guns at me, intending to kill me."
On 23 Mar, 2011, members of the RAB-8 unit from Barishal shot Limon in Saturia village in Jhalakhati's Rajapur upazila.
The RAB initially claimed that Limon was an associate of the notorious criminal Morshed Jamaddar. It alleged that Limon, then a college student, was shot during a raid to capture Morshed.
However, during treatment at Dhaka's National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR), Limon's left leg had to be amputated from the knee.
Following the incident, Limon's mother Henowara Begum, filed a complaint involving attempted murder charges with a Jhalakathi court on 10 Apr, 2011. The investigation into the case remains unresolved.
The accused in the case include RAB-8's then deputy assistant director Lutfor Rahman, Corporal Mazharul Islam, Constable Md Abdul Aziz, Naik Muktadir Hossain, and soldiers Prahlad Chanda and Kartik Kumar Biswas, along with six unnamed RAB members.
While the RAB claimed that Limon was accidentally shot during the raid, Limon insists that the officers deliberately shot him in the knee.
Following the shooting, the RAB filed two separate cases against Limon, accusing him of possessing illegal weapons and explosives. However, the charges heets listed Limon's age as 25, despite his school records indicating he was only 16 years and three months old.
The police submitted charge sheets in both cases, and they proceeded to trial. Limon, despite his disability, was required to attend the court hearings. In 2013, the court dismissed both cases.
During this period, several human rights organisations and civil society groups rallied in support of Limon. Nationwide protests and demonstrations were held in Dhaka, Jhalakathi, and other areas, demanding Limon's release and justice.
Limon was shot just days before his Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams, which he was unable to take that year. He later passed the HSC exams the following year from Kathalia PGS Multipurpose School and College in Pirojpur's Kawkhali upazila.
Limon then enrolled in the Law Department at Gono University in Savar. He is now a law lecturer at the same university.