Let the plight of innocent Badal Farazi end soon
It is utterly unfortunate for an ‘innocent’ person to be sentenced to jail while it is more frustrating if he cannot walk out of the jail after serving his jail term. A person named Badal Farazi has come across such an inhuman experience. He is still incarcerated in Keraniganj central jail. None can say for sure when he would be freed.
The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) arrested Badal Farazi when he was crossing the border over to India through Benapole in 2008. The 18-year-old Badal Farazi intended to visit Tajmahal. According to the Indian media’s report, Badal Farazi was mistaken for Badal Singh, an accused in a murder case. A Delhi court in 2015 sentenced Badal Farazi to lifetime imprisonment and Delhi High Court upheld the sentence. His jail term is 14 years according to the Indian Penal Code.
Badal was brought back to Bangladesh in 2018, thanks to the effort of Indian human rights activists and the Bangladesh government. But now, even after serving the jail term, Badal is still behind the bars. His elderly father died waiting for Badal to be freed. Now his elderly mother waits for the end of Badal's jail life.
The murder that Badal was implicated in had taken place before he entered India. It is utterly surprising as to why the Indian court sentenced him in the first place and the Delhi High Court upheld the verdict. Indian authorities cannot shun their responsibility for this incident.
It was a positive move for the government to bring back Badal Farazi. Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan at that time said Badal Farazi would be freed as soon as extradited from India. The minister himself admitted that Badal is innocent. Yet questions as to why Badal had to serve the full jail term given by the Indian court and why he is still languishing in jail remain unresolved.
According to a Prothom Alo report, exchanging of letters started after Badal Farazi’s sentence was ended on 20 July. But it is still undecided when and how he would be freed. The government should immediately release Badal Farazi. It is expected that the crime and inhumanity that took place with him would come to an end soon.