When the audio clip of Ekramul Haque being shot dead on May 26, 2018 went viral online, it did two things.
First, it put on record the horrific reality of Bangladesh's extrajudicial killings.
A wailing wife and children hearing their husband and father being shot dead on the other end of the line, the repeat gunshots by a remorseless paramilitary unit, and the groans of an innocent man begging for his life, telling his killers they've got the wrong guy: It's a set of sounds that once played, just can't be forgotten.
Second, the tape has, for the first time, made the Bangla government set up a formal commission of inquiry into an unlawful killing by law enforcement.
As per official numbers, in barely two months spanning April and May 2018, 157 people have been gunned down by the police and paramilitary in what they term as “crossfire.” Scores more have been picked up for questioning and then disappeared or detained indefinitely without charge.
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