'He might've been a criminal, but why kill him so brutally?': Sister of Jumman shot dead by joint forces

Around 4pm on Thursday (20 February), Aklima Begum, 35, sat against the wall outside the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital (ShSMCH) mortuary.

A hospital staff member herself, she waited for doctors to complete the autopsy of her brother, Md Jumman, one of two men killed in a joint force operation in Mohammadpur around just after Wednesday (19 February) midnight, so she could take his body home.

"He might have been a criminal in society's eyes, but why did he have to be killed so brutally?" Aklima asked while speaking to TBS outside the morgue.

According to the police and the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Jumman and his alleged associate Miraz Hossain were killed during an "exchange of fire" with security personnel.

"No one can live beyond the Almighty's will. He [Allah] took Jumman too early; it was his destiny," Aklima was heard telling her relatives after being informed the autopsy was complete.

Speaking to TBS after visiting the morgue to see her brother's body, Aklima described the injuries: "Bullets riddled his body from one side to the other. He was shot in the shin above his right ankle, below his waist, and another bullet pierced his lower abdomen, exiting through the other side."

Jumman's body was found just a minute's walk from his house after the reported shootout.

"We heard the law enforcers claim that Jumman and Miraz were the first to shoot at them. They then tried to escape. Later, Jumman's body was found riddled with bullets and soaked in blood," said Aklima.

However, she questioned the authenticity of photos of the deceased released by the joint forces.

"One thing seemed absurd. Initially, we received some photos in which Jumman wasn't holding any weapon. But later, high-resolution photos were released showing him holding a machete. I believe these pictures were staged. No one can hold a heavy weapon after being shot multiple times," Aklima stated.

Aklima described the final moments leading up to Jumman's death. "Last night [Wednesday], around 9pm, Jumman was at his home in the No-5 alley of Chand Udyan Housing. After receiving a call from Miraz, he tried to leave, but his wife, Borsha Begum, 22, resisted, even locking the door twice to stop him from going out due to rumours of a joint raid," she said.

"At around 11pm, he received another call from Miraz, and by 11:30, he left the house against Borsha's wishes, leaving her and their one-year-old child behind. After 12:30am, we heard that a joint force of military and police called for them to surrender using a megaphone. At least five people surrendered, but Miraz and Jumman did not," Aklima added.

Aklima mentioned that her brother had been accused in a "petty case" and had to appear in court every month.

Jumman was widely regarded as a criminal in the area by locals as well. 

"The name 'Jumman' became synonymous with crime in the locality. For every crime, whether he committed it or not, people blamed him. His name became cursed," she said.

Jumman, a former tile mechanic, lost his job after last year's uprising that toppled the Sheikh Hasina regime and later joined a local gang that included Miraz.

Mohammad Shahjahan, father of slain Miraz Hossain, who was killed during a reported shootout with joint forces in Mohammadpur on 20 February. Photo: TBS

'He didn't listen to me, now he's dead': Miraz's father

Meanwhile, Mohammad Shahjahan, father of the slain Miraz Hossain, 25, was signing a police document to receive his son's body.

A tea stall owner by profession, Shahjahan said his son worked as a CNG-run autorickshaw driver and sometimes helped him at the tea stall.

"I last saw him around 10:30pm last night. I told him not to go out during the joint operation, but he didn't listen. Now he's dead. I can't say any more," said the grieving father.

Miraz left behind a wife and a three-year-old son.

"He was accused in a heroin-related case. I believe he was framed. He couldn't escape the situation. They killed him in a way that has left me speechless," Shahjahan added