Army recovering sniper rifle triggers concerns, questions

For some months, a college student named Sohan Molla from Purulia village in Kalia Upazila of Khulna was using an illegal sniper rifle to terrorise local residents.

The local army camp learned about it and conducted a raid on Sohan’s house on the night of June 8.

At that time, they found the 4.5-caliber sniper nitro rifle (with telescope and silencer) hidden under Sohan’s bed.

Sohan, 26, and his father Abul Kalam Molla could not be arrested, as they had left the house, sensing the presence of the army personnel.

Sohan’s college name and age and his father’s profession could not be known immediately. But their tin-shed house is made of bamboo fences.

The recovery created a huge outcry among the netizens. They claimed that Sohan was among the anti-government protesters who used sniper rifles to kill students and ordinary people and put the blame on the police.

Some leaders of the Yunus-sponsored political parties and student groups, the BNP and Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, have already claimed responsibility for killing police, looting arms, and torching government establishments in July-August.

The mysterious deaths of some protesters, including Mugdho, and people on balconies raised the question of the use of sniper rifles because there were no police, BGB or army members nearby.

Moreover, some former army members, including Syed Ziaul Haque and Shuvo Mehedi, banned militant group Hizb ut-Tahrir and Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Tayyiba have also admitted their active involvement during the anarchy.

Videos of the then-home adviser, Brig Gen (Retd) Shakhawat Hossain, resurfaced on social media as he stated on August 12 last year that civilians used 7.62 bullets or military-grade guns.

Talking to journalists after visiting the injured Ansar members at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka, he questioned the identity of those responsible for the attack and called for a comprehensive investigation into the incident.

“It is alarming and deeply concerning that someone in civilian dress could go to the Ansar area and open fire. This requires a thorough investigation on a large scale,” Sakhawat said.

The adviser raised questions about how prohibited weapons ended up in the hands of civilians.

“Who are they? The doctors showed me a complete 7.62mm bullet. How could such forbidden weapons reach civilian hands in this country? This is something I have not witnessed before,” he added.

On August 5, the Ansar members were injured after the anti-government protesters attacked the Ansar VDP Academy in Safipur of Gazipur’s Kaliakair Upazila. They vandalised two main gates and the entrance.

The same day, the protesters attacked over 450 police stations and several prisons across the country, looted arms and ammunition, and freed prisoners.

Further investigation needed

After the raid, the army personnel handed over the weapon to Kalia police. Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abdullah Al Mamun said they would examine the weapon.

Google image search shows that the weapon is an airgun or a sports shooting rifle.

It is known as the “Precihole Sports PX120 Minotaur Bullpup PCP Air Rifle .177 (4.5mm),” having a range of 60 meters. It costs from Tk54,000-68,500 on IndiaMart’s online shop.

Sohan’s neighbours told Prothom Alo that the same gun had previously been seized by the army and later returned after Sohan presented legal documents proving ownership.

Another neighbour said that the airgun belonged to a youth named Ratul from a nearby village. Ratul was once a member of a shooting club in Dhaka.

Ratul’s father Md Zakaria told Prothom Alo that his son had owned an airgun purchased in Khulna. “But he returned it back to the seller after a while. Later, Sohan bought the same airgun.”

Not the same Sohan Molla?

Some sources alleged that Sohan Molla was a member of The Red July’s Khulna wing. This group works to document the incidents of deaths and injuries during the anti-government protests.

In a statement on Tuesday, the organisation said that The Red July’s publicity wing member Md Sohan Molla and Narail’s Sohan Molla are not the same person.

Md Sohan Molla is a resident of Khulna’s Sonadanga area and has been an active member of the group. “Spreading propaganda in his name is a completely politically motivated lie, which is nothing but an attempt to tarnish the image of our organization.”