Sinha murder trial held back by pandemic

The trial of retired army officer Sinha Mohammad Rashed Khan murder case has been stalled by the virus curbs as Saturday marks one year of the gruesome killing by police on Cox's Bazar marine drive on 31 July 2020.        

On 13 December last year, the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) submitted the charge-sheet in the murder case filed by Sinha's sister Sharmen Shahria Ferdush. In the latest development, a Cox's Bazar court postponed the hearing of the testimony of the plaintiff due to the Covid-led lockdown.

"The court would proceed with the verdict as soon as the testimony is over," Shahria Ferdush's lawyer Mohammad Mostafa told The Business Standard Friday.

Sinha, a former major of the Bangladesh Army, was killed at Shamlapur police checkpoint on the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf highway on 31 July last year. In the charge-sheet, Rab accused 15 individuals, including the then Teknaf Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Pradeep Kumar Das.

Twelve of the accused – most are cops who had been serving under the OC – have already given confessional statements to the court. However, OC Pradeep and another accused former police constable Rubel Sharma did not confess to any involvement in the killing.

Accord to the RAB charge-sheet, Sinha killing was a "cold-blooded murder".

'Did I shoot to give you water now?'

According to the investigation, the ex-OC used to extort taka several lakhs from people per month by threatening to frame them in narcotics cases.

On 3 July last year, Sinha and his three crews went to Cox's Bazar to film a documentary for his YouTube channel. While filming, Sinha independently looked into the narco trafficking in Teknaf and found its links with Pradeep, said the charge-sheet.   

Upon finding such allegations, he went to meet Pradeep at the Teknaf Police Station. Pradeep told Sinha to leave the area and threatened to destroy him if he did not do so.

The ex-OC informed inspector Liaqat and local sources about Sinha and held a meeting at the police station. They initially planned lynching by staging Sinha an armed robber, said the charge-sheet.

According to it, Liaqat informed the then Cox's Bazar Superintendent of Police (SP) ABM Masud after the shooting, and Sinha was still alive then. But the SP did not give any order to hospitalise the former army officer.        

"The SP should have been more active in revealing the murder and identifying the culprits," said the charge-sheet.  

Liaqat Ali, the prime accused in the case, said in his confessional statement that he rushed to Shamlapur checkpoint that night after getting a phone call from his source local Nurul.

"At around 9:20 pm, a car arrived at the checkpoint. Two riders got off the vehicle by raising their hands as police told them to pull out. I fired four rounds of bullets as soon as they pulled out, and called OC Pradeep."

Liaqat said the OC told him not to take Sinha to hospital until he turned up at the scene.

Former Sub-Inspector (SI) Nandadulal Rakshit, the third accused in the murder case, in a confessional statement said, "As soon as the major got out of the car with both hands raised, Inspector Liaqat fired two rounds of bullets. Sinha was leaning forward after the shooting. Sinha fell to the ground as Liaqat fired two more rounds."

Nandadulal said the wounded man repeatedly asked them for water to drink. "Did I shoot to give you water now," Liaqat told Sinha, said another accused Shahjahan – a former police SI.

Wounded Sinha then was handcuffed, and OC Pradeep after arriving at the scene ensured that the retired army officer bled to death.

Mohammad Khairul Islam, a senior assistant superintendent of police and the investigation officer (IO) of the case, said they submitted the charge-sheet promptly.

"We tried to unfold the whole incident. And we hope the court will award the accused the maximum punishment," he added.

Sinha's sister, co-traveller want capital punishment too

University student Shahadul Islam Sefat, a film crew of Sinha who was travelling with the victim on that night, told TBS that he wanted the capital punishment of the culprits.

Sefat said that night still feels like a nightmare and he still cannot believe "Sinha sir" is not there.  

The victim's sister Sharmen Shahria Ferdush said they are hopeful about getting justice in the case.

"We are satisfied with the charge-sheet. My brother's soul would rest in peace once the culprits are hanged," she added.