Bangladesh: Schoolboy killed by stray bullet

A schoolboy was killed when a stray bullet from a gunfight between Rapid Action Battalion and drug peddlers hit him at Boubazar of Fatullah in Narayanganj last night, police said.

His brother Sohag and a friend Badal also suffered bullet injuries.

Deceased Shuvo was a class-X student of Pagla High School. Injured 10-year-old Sohag was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Officer-in-Charge Ainul Haq of Fatullah Police Station told The Daily Star that a Rab team raided Boubazar around 9:20pm. The team engaged in a gunfight with the drug peddlers.

Shuvo died on the spot being hit in the chin and his brother received a bullet in the leg, Ainul Haq said. Their home is close to the spot.

Shuvo’s body was sent to a Narayanganj hospital.

Meanwhile, mother of the two Rahima Begum told news agency UNB that Shuvo and Sohag were returning home along with Badal after buying chanachur from a shop.

She heard gunfire and rushed out looking for her sons. But to her astonishment she saw her two sons and Badal lying in a poll of blood on the road, the news agency said.

However, Captain Nazmul, who led the Rab team, told The Daily Star that they fired a single shot during the drive.

“The drug peddlers assaulted two of our team members, Lance Corporal Jakir and Sergeant Shafiq,” he said, adding that the two were sent to a hospital in Dhaka for treatment.

Source: The Daily Star – 15.06.2011