Sinha killing: 'Investigation almost completed'

The home ministry probe body investigating the killing of retired-army major Sinha Md Rashed Khan has said they have almost completed their works.

They will submit the report within 23 August, the probe committee members said on Sunday while they held a public hearing over the killing in Shamlapur Rohingya Camp.

The hearing started at 11:00am and continued till 5:00pm.

However, it has been learnt that most of the people who gave their statements to the committee as witnesses were not present during the incident of killing. They came to the spot after the incident.

The public hearing was held at a place very near the Shamlapur police check post where the retired army major was killed in police firing on 31 July.

“We’ve selected the place of public hearing so that nothing is missed. We’ve interrogated those who witnessed the incident,” said the probe body chief.

The public security division of the home ministry formed the four-member committee headed by Chattogram’s additional divisional commissioner Mohammad Mizanur Rahman on 2 August to investigate the incident.

The other members of the committee are lieutenant colonel SM Sazzad Hossain, additional deputy inspector general of Chattagram range Zakir Hossain Khan and Cox’s Bazar’s additional district magistrate Shajahan Ali.

Initially, the committee was asked to submit its report within seven working days. Later on 10 August, the ministry extended the time for seven more days.

Hundreds of people, including representatives of local bodies, thronged the Shamlapur Rohingya camp area on Sunday morning, but only 11 people agreed to testify. A group of students of a local madrasa also wanted to testify, but the authorities did not take their testimony considering their age.

Members of the police and Rapid Action Battalion along with the army were deployed during the hearing.

The probe body took the testimony at a room guarded by army men. Those who testified could not talk with the media.

“The committee wanted to know about the incident of 31 July. I’ve said what I witnessed,” Rashid Ahmed, a fish trader of Shamlapur, told Prothom Alo over the phone after testifying to the committee.

He said he was on the bridge near Shamlapur check post at the time of the incident.

He saw Liaqat fired four shots at Sinha, Rashid said.

Baharchara union’s Ansarul Alam told Prothom Alo that he enlisted his name for public hearing but the committee did not take his testimony. He was at his house during the incident.

Phone numbers of most of the witnesses were switched off. Some others who testified before the committee gave phone numbers of others. Baharchara Pashchimpara’s Jakir Hossain enlisted his name with the phone number of his brother-in-law Syed Ullah.

Contacted, Syed said his sister had divorced Jakir two months ago and he now has no contact with him. Another witness Sarwar Kamal provided mobile number of Baharchara union parishad member Md Ilias. Truck driver Saiful Afsar, who allegedly reached the spot around 11:00 (around one and half hour later the incident), was also enlisted as witness.

Mobile numbers of three other witnesses were switched off. It has been learnt that two of them were near the spot during the killing.

Committee’s head Mohammad Mizanur Rahman talked to journalists after the hearing.

He said 11 people enlisted their names for the hearing but they did not take statements of two of them.

He said the committee has so far taken testimony of 60 people.

The investigation team took testimony from witnesses, law enforcers of Teknaf police station and check post, driver, physician who did autopsy and official who prepared inquest report of Sinha. They also sent letters to different authorities seeking information related to the incident.

Asked if the probe report will be anything useful as a criminal case has been filed over the killing and concerned authorities are investigating the incident, the committee chief said, “It’s up to the government to decide if it (probe report) will be useful for the case.”

Answering a separate question, the probe body chief said they do not find any lack of coordination among different government bodies during their investigation.

“I’ve got cooperation from all,” he added.

On 31 July night, Sinha was shot dead by police at the Shamlapur check post on his way back to the Nilima Resort in the Himchhari area of ​​Cox's Bazar on Marine Drive in the Marishbunia hills of Teknaf.

On 5 August, Sharmin Shahriya Ferdous, elder sister of Sinha, filed a case with Cox’s Bazar senior judicial magistrate court regarding the incident.

Persons involved in the investigation have said it is vital to find answers to three basic questions in this case. One, was the killing planned or was it committed on the spur of the moment? Two, on whose orders did Liaqat shoot Sinha? Three, did Sinha have a gun in his hand or not when he was killed?