I want justice

Justice seems to be a never-ending wait for the family of Felani Khatun.

It has been more than five years since she was shot dead on Kurigram's Anantapur border, but the killer, believed to be Indian Border Security Force jawan Amiya Ghosh, is yet to be brought to book.

However, talking to The Daily Star yesterday, Felani's fifth death anniversary, her father Nur Islam vowed not to back off from their struggle for justice.  

He has been in contact with several human rights organisation, including Indian Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (Masum), since a special BSF court in Cooch Behar acquitted the “killer”. 

”The court acquitted Amiya Ghosh even though he admitted killing my daughter before it,” Nur, who was with Felani when she was killed, said over phone. “I am now eagerly waiting to get justice from the Indian Supreme Court.”

Nur had testified twice in the case.

Contacted, Abraham Lincoln, Kurigram public prosecutor and lawyer in the case from the Bangladesh side, said, “We still don't know whether the verdict by the BSF court has been approved by its higher authority.”

He also said the Indian authorities, the complainant, were yet to appeal to an upper court against the verdict.

Over two years after the killing and a photo of Felani's body hanging across the border barbwires created an outrage in Bangladesh, the trial in the case finally began at the court of BSF Battalion-181 in Cooch Behar of West Bengal in August, 2013.

However, the court acquitted the lone accused, Amiya Ghosh, of the murder charge.

Later, Felani's father appealed to Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh for a revision trial which began at the same court in 2014. Later, it upheld the previous verdict.

In July last year, Masum filed a writ petition with the Indian Supreme Court after Nur requested the rights body to take steps for filing a case with the apex court. 

Yesterday, Lincoln, the lawyer in the case from the Bangladesh side, said the hearing on the petition was supposed to be held on December 15 last year, but the date was changed due to reformation of the court benches.