Felani’s father Nurul Islam and her uncle Hanif Ali along with a public prosecutor and a BGB official left Kurigram for Coochbihar district in India on Sunday morning to attend the trial of her killing that took place on January 7, 2011.
The 45 BGB Battalion commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Ziaul Haque Khaled and public prosecutor SM Abraham Lincoln started their journey at about 9:15am on Sunday, BGB officials said.
‘We will just seek justice,’ said Lincoln.
Felani Khatun, a 15-year-old girl, was shot dead by the BSF when she was crossing the border into Bangladesh over barbed-wire fences through Anantopur border area under Kurigram district on January 7, 2011. Felani’s parents have demanded that the killers get capital punishment.
A senior BGB official after holding a meeting with Border Security Force officials at Jessore border said the trial at the Indian General Security Force Court will record the deposition of Felani’s father and her uncle as witnesses on August 19.
‘The verdict is expected to be delivered before August 31,’ the BGB officer added.
A one-man special court of the Indian security force on Tuesday began the trial of the killing of Felani Khatun at Coochbihar BSF headquarters about two years and eight months after the incident took place.
The judge, SK Srivastava, also inspector general of the Border Security Force’s Guwahati frontier, began the trial at the BSF 181 battalion headquarters in the area.
On August 13, the trial began after the BSF conducted an investigation into the killing.
After the investigation, a charge sheet was submitted against the BSF constable Amiya Ghosh, who had allegedly shot Felani.
Felani was one of 214 Bangladeshis killed on the borders between January 2009 and June 2013 after the Awami League-led government assumed office.
The killing shocked people both in Bangladesh and India and drew widespread condemnation.
The BGB officials, however, were not ‘clear’ whether a murder charge was being brought against the accused.
Earlier, they were scheduled to give their deposition in the case to the General Security Force Court in India on July 15 and July 20. The special BSF court is equivalent to an Indian court martial.
-With New Age input
