Fresh trial in Felani killing begins

The fresh trial in the Felani killing case has begun at a special court in Cooch Behar of India.

The trial began at the Special Security Force Court at the BSF headquarters, said Kurigram 45 BGB Battalion Commanding Officer Lt Col Mofazzal Hossain Akand.

He along with Felani’s father Nurul Islam, maternal uncle Abdul Hanif and Kurigram public prosecutor Abraham Lincoln will go to Cooch Behar to give deposition in the case within a day or two.

The Border Security Force authorities are supposed to inform them about the time to travel to India.

The fresh trial has commenced following public outrage after the self-confessed killer, 181 Battalion Constable Amiya Ghosh, was acquitted by another BSF court on September 5 last year because of “inconclusive and insufficient” evidence against him.

Bangladesh government too protested the verdict and expressed concern.

Later, the BSF headquarters said they were not happy with the trial and announced to hold retrial following further probe into the murder that took place on January 7, 2011.

Felani was shot dead at Anantapur border point in Kurigram’s Phulbari upazila while she was trying to climb over the barbed wire fence. She was on her way to Bangladesh with her father from Delhi where she used to work as a domestic help. But they had no valid documents for the travel.

The BSF fired at her when her clothes entangled in the barbed wire. Her body was left there for several hours. Amidst massive protest and criticisms, the BSF probed the incident and found one of its members responsible.

According to the international border laws, the security forces are duty-bound to detain if someone crosses the borders illegally and then hand over the person to the local police station for further action.

During the high-level meetings between the BGB and the BSF in the recent years, the latter on several occasions pledged to bring down the number of deaths to zero through extensive joint patrol, awareness measures and by not using lethal weapons.

Despite these, the BSF members in the last decade have shot dead over 1,200 Bangladeshis including cattle smugglers, farmers and innocent people along the border. The Indian force has also been accused of torture and abduction of Bangladeshi nationals.