The court has granted, for the third time, another three-day remand for the three main accused in the case regarding the killing of retired army major Sinha Md Rashed Khan. Cox’s Bazar senior judicial magistrate Tamanna Farah granted the three-day remand in Friday afternoon, after hearing the appeal filed by the investigating officer of the case.
The three main accused to be taken on remand are the suspended officer-in-charge (OC) of Teknaf police station Pradeep Kumar Das, Baharchhara police outpost in-charge inspector Liaqat Ali and sub-inspector (SI) of the police station, Nandadulal Rakkhit. The four-day remand of these three accused ended on Thursday.
According to court sources and eye-witnesses, OC Pradeep, Liaqat Ali and Nandadulal Rakkhit were brought by a vehicle of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) to the court at around 2:30 pm Friday. At 3:15pm the three accused were brought to the court of senior judicial magistrate Tamanna Farah. After the hearing, at around 4:15pm, the three were taken away by the vehicle to the RAB-15 Cox’s Bazar office.
The state counsel rejected the allegations of torture, asking the court how OC Pradeep was standing in the dock if indeed his arms and legs were broken.
RAB is investigating the Sinha killing case.
A team of lawyers from Chattogram opposed the remand order and made an appeal for bail on behalf of OC Pradeep. The head of the team, Ahsanul Huq, drew the attention of the court, saying that OC Pradeep had already been taken twice on remand for 11 days in total, during which he was tortured and his arms and legs broken. There was not need to take him on remand for the third time, the lawyer said.
The state counsel rejected the allegations of torture, asking the court how OC Pradeep was standing in the dock if indeed his arms and legs were broken. The court rejected the appeal of the defendant and granted remand for the three accused.
After the hearing, the defendant’s lawyer Ahsanul Huq told newsmen that they would go to the Supreme Court to fight OC Pradeep’s case.
The plaintiff’s lawyer Mohammad Mostafa told the newsmen that an appeal had been filed to take Pradeep Kumar Das, Liaqat Ali and Nandadulal Rakkhit on remand for four days, but the court granted a three-day remand. The investigating agency had already interrogated them twice, first on a seven-day remand and the second time on four-day remand.
Retired army major Sinha Md Rashed Khan had been shot dead by police at the Shamlapur check post on the night of 31 July while he was returning by Marine Drive to Nilima Resort in Himchhari, Cox’s Bazar, after filming a video at the Marishbunia hills in Teknaf. Police also arrested Shahedul Islam Sifat who was accompanying Sinha at the time. They later arrested his other associate Shipra Debnath from Nilima Resort. Sifat an Shipra have been freed on bail.
There are 13 persons arrested in the Sinha killing case. They are OC Pradeep Kumar Das, Liaqat Ali, Nandadulal Rakkhit, SI Liton Miah, constables Safanur Karim, Kamal Hossain and Abdullah Al Mamun, three APBn members SI Md Shahjahan, constable Md Rajib and Md Abdullah, and residents of Marishbunia in Teknaf, Nurul Amin, Nizam Uddin and Mohammed Aiyas.
While the court granted remand for the second time, this time for four days, for SI Liton Miah, constables Safanur Karim, Kamal Hossain and Abdullah Al Mamun, the investigating agency has not begun interrogating them yet. They are presently in the district jail.
Earlier six others in the case had been interrogated for 11 days in total during the first and second time they were taken in remand. They were SI Md Shahjahan, constable Md Rajib and Md Abdullah, and residents of Marishbunia in Teknaf, Nurul Amin, Nizam Uddin and Mohammed Aiyas. The three APBn members , under Section 164, gave confessional statements in court.