Crowd control: Police seek to stop use of lethal weapon

The police may stop using lethal weapons and lead pellets for crowd control as their widespread use during the July mass uprising led to massive casualties and global criticism.

The process is underway to make time-befitting regulations on the use of firearms, said Enamul Haque Sagor, assistant inspector general (media) at the Police Headquarters.

The Police Headquarters has already formed a committee, led by a deputy inspector general, to recommend non-lethal methods for controlling crowds and unlawful assemblies.

“We have been discussing banning the use of long barrel firearms even in case of rowdy protests,” said an additional inspector general seeking anonymity.

Police will use small arms like in developed countries in extreme cases of necessity in line with the UN guidelines to which Bangladesh is a signatory, he added.

The committee’s recommendations will be given to the IGP for review and then to the ministry for finalisation, said a committee member.

Around 1,500 people lost their lives during the July uprising, while 19,931 others got injured, said Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus while addressing the nation on the completion of 100 days of the interim government on November 17.

Members of the police, Rab, Border Guard Bangladesh and other forces fired on the protesters during demonstrations that began on July 14. Many victims suffered permanent disabilities, with more than 400 losing eyesight due to lead pellet injuries.

The Daily Star analysed the pattern of injuries of 204 people who died as of August 1 and found that almost 95 percent of them were killed by bullets, including live rounds and shotgun pellets.

Of them, 113 were shot in the head, chest, stomach and abdomen.

Lawyers for Energy, Environment and Development analysed 100 cases filed with 22 police stations in Dhaka and Chattogram.

The analysis showed that lethal weapons like 7.62mm semi-automatic rifles, submachine guns, BD08 assault rifles, Taurus 9mm revolvers and Type 54 pistols had been used.

The law enforcement agencies gave priority to using lethal weapons over other methods of riot control, the analysis showed.

During the 1971 Liberation War, the police put up resistance against the Pakistan Army at Rajarbagh Police Lines with .303 rifles.

Those rifles have become outdated, and police have periodically modernised their arsenal, introducing advanced lethal weapons like 7.62mm sniper firearms, LMG (Light Machine Gun) and SMG (Submachine Gun) along with Chinese rifles.

In October 2014, a meeting involving various stakeholders, including representatives from the home ministry and Police Headquarters, was held to discuss the procurement of lethal firearms including 7.62mm rifles.

Senior officials then justified the procurement saying such weapons were necessary for combating criminals equipped with sophisticated firearms, especially in the diverse geographical landscapes of Bangladesh’s hilly and plain regions and dreaded militants.

However, during the recent protests, police and other forces used these military-grade weapons widely against unarmed demonstrators.

“Police actions deviated from the existing domestic laws, which themselves fall short of UN standards,” said a committee member, criticising the continued reliance on colonial-era legislation designed to suppress dissent.

The UN guidelines on the use of force by law enforcement state that public assemblies may be deemed unlawful under domestic laws for various reasons, such as failing to meet procedural requirements or violating restrictions.

However, many such reasons, like procedural noncompliance, do not render an assembly unlawful under international human rights law.

“…In any case, the mere fact that an assembly is considered unlawful under domestic legislation does not justify the use of force by law enforcement officials,” reads the guidelines.

The committee will also recommend what extent of force can be used when and in what situation.

Before using any force to disperse unlawful assembly, police have to take into consideration the reasons for the assembly and take peaceful means to settle their problems, the official said.

PROCUREMENT AND USE OF ADVANCED WEAPONRY

A number of police officers said the force has had SMG and LMG for many years and those assault rifles were to guard police stations in war-like situations or any other emergency.

However, the use of weapons in crowd control began on a limited scale in 2012 and 2013 and it continued to increase during Awami League’s rule as people became hostile to the government and police for issues like holding farcical elections and taking hardline on political opponents, they added.

A meeting in October 2014, including representatives from the home ministry and Police Headquarters, decided to procure lethal firearms including 7.62mm rifles.

The decision to acquire the weapons was influenced by the events surrounding a Hefajat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Chattar on May 5, 2013 and protests by Jamaat-Shibir men against the trial of war criminals, an official who was in the meeting told The Daily Star recently.

The government also considered their potential use to suppress dissent.

The first batch of weapons arrived in 2015 from Italy.

The weapons were intended for specialised units to tackle special situations but not for use against unarmed people, said a retired additional inspector general of police who attended the home ministry meeting.

“Such actions are unacceptable and the responsibility lies with those who misuse their authority,” he added.

The issue of using lethal weapons indiscriminately came to the fore after the fall of the AL government on August 5 when former Home Affairs Adviser M Sakhawat Hossain on several occasions questioned how such “military grade” weapons were given to police.

Ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy made several Facebook posts claiming that Bangladesh police did not use 7.62mm rifles and claimed outsiders opened fire with 7.62 firearms on the students.

But, purchase documents on the Bangladesh Police’s website show police have long been using 7.62 sniper rifles and 7.62mm bullets.

The latest such move was made in March when the Police Headquarters floated a tender inviting bids for buying 50 7.62mm sniper rifles.

Earlier in March 2023, the Police Headquarters purchased 30 7.62 sniper rifles. Officials said the weapons were purchased keeping the January 2024 general elections in mind.

Besides, police authorities procured a large consignment of 15,000 pieces of 7.62mm semi-automatic rifles in September 2019 and August 2018, according to the website of Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority.