Retrial of Felani killing case begins
Retrial of the case pertaining to the killing of young Bangladeshi girl Felani began in Cooch Behar yesterday, Monday, in the absence of members of her family, lawyers and BGB officers.
The trial is being held at the special tribunal of the 181 BSF central battalion in Sonari, Cooch Behar of India. The first day of the trial was held under top secrecy. Heavy security was deployed outside the special tribunal.
DS Sandha, DIG (Cooch Behar Sector) of the Indian Border Defence Force BSF, said that the retrial of this case had begun. However, he refused from further comment on the excuse that the trial was ongoing.
Lt. Col. Mofazzel Hossain Akhand, Commanding Officer (CO) of Kurigram 45 BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh), is in charge of overall cooperation and monitoring on behalf of BGB. He told Prothom Alo yesterday, "The trial has begun but we have not been summoned as yet. However, we are prepared. We shall go over to India give our statements in court the moment we are called by BSF."
The BGB officer said that Felani's father Nur Islam and her uncle Abdul Hanif would go over to India anytime too it order to give their statements in court. Kurigram's public prosecutor SM Abraham Lincoln would assist the witnesses and court as legal counsel from Bangladesh.
BGB sources say that last week BSF issued a letter informing them that the retrial of Felani's case would start at any day. They asked Felani's father, uncle, lawyer and the CO of Kurigram BGB to be ready with visas and other preparations so that they could go over when BSF summoned them.
On 7 January 2011, Felani was crossing the border at Anantapur, Phulbari, returning home with her father from India. As she was climbing over the barbed wife fencing, Indian BSF personnel shot her dead. Felani's body remained hanging over the barbed wire for four whole hours. The image of her body spurred of strong reaction in the media and among human rights activists at home and abroad.
Later, on 13 August 2013, the trial of this killing began in the BSF special court of Cooch Behar in India's West Bengal district. Felani's father and uncle gave statements in court as eye witnesses of the incident. On 6 September 2013, the court cleared the accused BSF member Amiya Ghosh of all charges and acquitted him.
Felani's family refused to accept the verdict. On 12 September 2013 Felani's father appealed to the Indian government through the Indian High Commission in Dhaka for a retrial of the case. After bilateral talks between BSF and BGB, BSF agreed to a retrial of the Felani killing case. The retrial began yesterday.