Desk:: Bangladesh : The once peaceful city of Chattogram is now gripped by tension and fear. Residents are reportedly afraid to step outside during the day, as the city’s police chief has announced over the wireless that any armed terrorist sighted must be immediately engaged with a submachine gun in a shoot-to-kill approach. This is not merely an administrative directive; it is widely seen as an authorization for extrajudicial killings.
On November 11, at noon, Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) Commissioner Hasib Aziz verbally instructed patrol and police station teams that shotguns and Chinese rifles would be withdrawn, and all patrol units would now carry submachine guns. Officers were told to open fire upon encountering armed criminals, with the Commissioner himself assuming full responsibility for the action.
For ordinary citizens, the announcement has caused alarm. People who send their children to school, go to markets, or commute to work see the police as a symbol of security. That very symbol has now become a directive for potential violence, spreading fear across every street of the city.
The order follows a public shooting incident on November 5 in Khondkarabad under Bayezid Bostami Police Station, where an individual was killed during a political outreach event. While authorities have described Commissioner Aziz’s directive as an effort to ensure security, human rights experts warn that if law enforcement begins indiscriminate firing, it will endanger not only suspected criminals but also innocent civilians.
Experts emphasize that the order violates fundamental human rights, bypasses due process, and creates conditions for extrajudicial killings. Once such a policy is implemented, there is no guarantee that innocent people will not be targeted.
In a city where people can no longer walk safely on the streets, measures to curb terrorist hideouts come at the cost of eroding public trust in law and justice. While the Commissioner claims the directive is meant to enhance safety, its effect may instead pose a significant threat to the lives of ordinary citizens and contravene internationally recognized human rights norms.
Every street in Chattogram now reflects fear and unease. If law enforcement officers are granted unchecked authority to execute citizens, the public will live in terror, and confidence in the justice system will further decline. The imbalance between maintaining security and protecting human rights is pushing the city toward instability.
This directive is therefore not just an administrative decision—it is a stark signal of human rights violations. The state, government, and civil society must remain vigilant. No authority has the right to use excessive force at the expense of citizens’ lives and dignity. Efforts to ensure security must never supersede the principles of justice and human rights.
Local human rights activists have already demanded that the CMP Commissioner be held accountable for his order.
The Global Alliance Against Atrocity and Violence on Humanity (GA3VH), a Canada-based human rights organization, has expressed concern over the directive. GA3VH urged authorities to review the shoot-to-kill policy immediately, emphasizing that measures to combat crime must not violate international human rights standards or put innocent civilians at risk.
