The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has submitted its final report in the three cases filed by the police. The police, in these cases, brought about allegations of drug possession and assaulting the police in the incident of retired army major Sinha Md Rashed Khan being killed. And investigation into the Sinha killing case is near completion.
The final report regarding the three cases was submitted to the Cox’s Bazar court on Thursday, according to RAB, the agency investigating the incident.
RAB’s legal and media wing director Lt Col Ashique Billah, speaking to Prothom Alo on Saturday, said no truth was found in the allegations brought about in the three cases and so the final report has been submitted. Investigation into the murder case filed in this incident has reached the final stage and the charge sheet is being prepared. The charge sheet in the killing case will be handed over to the court in a day or two.
Retired major Sinha Md Rashed Khan was shot dead at 9:30 on the night of 31 July at the Shamlapur check post on the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive, when Liaqat Ali, who was then the police inspector at the Baharchhara investigation centre, opened fire.
Police arrested Shahedul Islam (Sifat) who was accompanying Sinha at the time. The police then picked up two members of Sinha’s video team, Shipra Debnath and Tahsin Rifat Noor from the Nilima Resort where the team had been staying. They later released Noor, but arrested Shipra and Rifat and sent them to jail. The two were later released on bail.
Shipra was unwilling to comment on the charges against her not being proven. She told Prothom Alo on Saturday, “There is nothing to say about the investigation. I will say what I have to say once the trial is over.”
Four cases in total were filed pertaining to the killing of Sinha. Immediately after the incident, the police filed three cases, two with the Teknaf police station and one with the Ramu police station. Two of the cases brought about allegations of drug possession and one alleged assault on the police.
On the case filed on 31 July at the Teknaf police station, allegations were brought against the killed Sinha and his associate Shahedul Islam (Sifat), accusing them to attacking the police. Only Sinha was accused in the drugs case. And member of Sinha’s video team, Shipra, was accused in the case filed at the Ramu police station. The case was filed on 1 August after the raid at the Nilima Resort.
The murder case in this incident was filed by Sinha’s sister Sharmin Shariya Ferdous on 5 August with the Cox’s Bazar court. Nine persons were accused in this case, including former officer-in-charge of the Teknaf police station Pradeep Kumar Das and inspector of the Baharchhara investigation centre Liaqat Ali.
RAB was given responsibility of investigating all four cases. RAB arrested 14 persons in the case including Pradeep Kumar Das and Liaqat Ali. Among the arrested, 11 were members of the police and three were village residents. After being taken on remand and interrogated, they all gave deposition in court, except Pradeep Kumar Das. The accused are presently all in jail.
The report pointed to certain incidents as suspicious. These included police inspector Liaqat Ali phoning Nurul Amin of the village Marisbunia eight times, they operation against robbers with no advance preparation, shooting with no clear reason to shoot, OC Pradeep coming to the spot and assaulting the already shot Sinha, leaving Sinha lying there instead of immediately rushing him to hospital, sending him to hospital by truck, and filing a drugs and murder case against the deceased Sinha
RAB sources said that as the case was an important one, RAB had formed a team to assist the investigating officer. It was decided that the officers on the team would prepare a report after investigations and they consulted lawyers in this regard too. Based on the views of all concerned, it was decided to prepare the final report in the three cases and a charge sheet.
RAB officials said that they had evidence that the Sinha killing was a pre-planned one and the charge sheet was being prepared accordingly. It was been learnt that 14 people have been accused.
It was learnt that a police team from beforehand had been monitoring the movements of Sinha and his team which were making a travel video for YouTube. RAB found evidence that a team of police from Teknaf had even gone to a village in search of Sinha.
Officers involved in the investigations said that it had been important to determine whether this was a pre-planned murder or a spontaneous one. The inquiry committee of the home ministry could not determine this and advised a criminal inquiry into the matter. RAB investigations reveal this was a pre-panned killing. OC Pradeep Kumar Das had issued instructions to keep an eye on the movements of Sinha and his team.
Many had been killed in police fire along Marine Drive, but this case created a reaction among the forces. Army chief General Aziz Ahmed and the inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed went to Cox’s Bazar and met with various persons in this regard. They later held a joint press briefing, terming this as an isolated incident. Associations of retired army officers and retired police officers also made statements at the time.
The home ministry on 1 August formed an inquiry committee headed by Chattogram’s additional divisional commissioner Mohammed Mizaur Rahman, to look into the matter. The committee interrogated 68 persons and submitted a 586-page report, 80 pages being the main report, to the home ministry.
The report pointed to certain incidents as suspicious. These included police inspector Liakat Ali phoning Nurul Amin of the village Marisbunia eight times, they operation against robbers with no advance preparation, shooting with no clear reason to shoot, OC Pradeep coming to the spot and assaulting the already shot Sinha, leaving Sinha lying there instead of immediately rushing him to hospital, sending him to hospital by truck, and filing a drugs and murder case against the deceased Sinha. These matters have been detailed in the charge sheet, investigating officials have said.
State counselor at the Cox’s Bazar court on Saturday told Prothom Alo that the charge sheets in three cases have been drawn up. The charge sheet in the murder case will be ready within a day or two. Once the charge sheet in the last case is submitted, it will be clear what actually occurred that day at the Shamlapur check post.