Felani killing: BSF man acquitted again

A special West Bengal court of Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has upheld its previous verdict that acquitted one of its troopers over the killing of Felani Khatun.

A BSF General Security Forces court gave the verdict yesterday night after the hearing of the revision trial, our New Delhi correspondent reports.

“The court has reached the same conclusion as it did in the previous time and acquitted him on the same grounds,” he reports quoting sources inside the BSF.

However, the latest decision is subject to revision and approval by an Additional Director General rank officer, also the competent authority, of BSF based in the eastern sector of the country.

Meanwhile, Felani’s father Nurul Islam told The Daily Star that he will not accept this verdict and demanded international trial over the killing of his daughter, our Kurigram correspondent reports.

“We have heard of the verdict. We don’t accept it. We don’t want trial in BSF court, we want trial in international court,” he said over the telephone – sobbing all the while.

Fifteen-year-old Felani Khatun was shot dead by the BSF while she, along with her father, was returning home from India through Anantapur border along Phulbari upazila of Kurigram on January 7, 2011.

Her dead body was hung from barbwires along the border for hours. A photo of that heart wrenching moment was caught by the media. The incident sparked uproar throughout Bangladesh.

A special court of the Indian BSF began trial over this incident on August 13, 2013. As an outcome of the proceedings, the lone accused trooper Amiya Ghosh was acquitted of murder charge on September 6, 2013.

Felani's father appealed to Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh for revision trial in the case. On his appeal, proceedings of the revision trial, held in Cooch Bihar of West Bengal, began from September 22 last year.