Jamaat Demands Accountability of Law Enforcement Over Death of Former Air Force Officer Tahsif

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has expressed deep concern and anger over the recovery of the body of former Air Force Flight Lieutenant Tahsif Sauri. The party questioned the role of law enforcement agencies and intelligence bodies in the incident and demanded that the true facts be uncovered through a quick, impartial and transparent investigation and that those responsible be punished.

In a statement issued on Thursday (29 October), the party's secretary general Mia Golam Parwar prayed for the departed soul of Tahsif Sauri and expressed deep sympathy to his bereaved family.

In the statement he said the recovery of a former Air Force officer's body from a river was extremely worrying. The killing of a former military officer in this way had raised serious questions in the minds of the public about the role of law enforcement agencies and intelligence bodies. There was no scope to evade responsibility for the incident, he said.

In his view, the incident involved extreme failure and negligence on the part of law enforcement agencies and intelligence bodies.

Mia Golam Parwar said the intelligence agencies that could not provide security for the life of a former Air Force officer were the ones trying to mislead the public by spreading absurd, false and fabricated information in the names of opposition leaders. It was nothing but ridiculous, he said.

The Jamaat secretary general said in the statement that ensuring the safety of a citizen's life was a fundamental duty of the state. The real cause of Tahsif Sauri's death, the circumstances in which he died and whether anyone was involved must be uncovered through a quick, impartial and transparent investigation, he said.

He demanded the swift arrest of the criminals and appropriate punishment. He also called for legal action against any official or agency if negligence of duty or involvement in the crime was proven in the investigation.

Mia Golam Parwar said no one could gain immunity by neglecting state duty. The state must ensure that Tahsif Sauri's family was not deprived of justice, he said.