Dhaka: Charges have been filed against three members, including the commanding officer, of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) 2 and an informant of the elite force with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Dhaka in connection with the killing of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leader in a reported gunfight in the Hazaribagh area on 18 August.

The four accused are commanding officer of RAB 2 Colonel Masud Rana, DAD Shahinur Rahman, inspector Wahid and informant Ratan.

Masud Rana, brother of the deceased, filed the complaint with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Shahriar Mahmud Adnan on Sunday morning.

Later, magistrate Shahriar Mahmud Adnan recorded the complainant, said Advocate Azimuddin Shimul, lawyer of the plaintiff.  

Earlier on 18 August, Arju, ex-president of the Hazaribagh thana unit of BCL, was killed in a reported gunfight between his associates and members of RAB 2 in Hazaribagh area.

Arju was the prime accused in the killing of teenage boy Raja, who was tortured to death allegedly by him and his associates in Ganaktuli of Hazaribagh on 17 August over theft of a cell phone set.

Sources at the RAB Headquarters said a team of RAB 2 arrested Arju from Hazaribagh area on 17 August midnight.

When the RAB team was going to conduct an operation along with Arju to arrest his associates, miscreants tried to snatch the BCL leader from the crime busting force’s custody near Mannan Principal’s house at Boraikhal in Hazaribagh area at about 3:30am on 18 August, said Director (Legal and media wing) of RAB headquarters Mufti Mahmood Khan.

He said as the miscreants fired gunshots, the elite force also retaliated by shooting fire and Arju sustained bullet injuries.

At one stage, Arju’s associates fled the scene and the RAB team recovered two foreign-made pistols and three rounds of bullet from there, the media wing director of the RAB headquarters added.

Arju was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries at about 5:30am.

Raja, 16, son of Babul Hossain of in Hazaribagh, was reportedly picked up by Arju and his associates from his (Raja’s) house and they took him to Arju’s residence in the morning of 17 August alleging that the teenage boy stole his (Arju’s) mobile phone set.

The boy was tortured to death later.