News reports said the special BSF court in India has acquitted the killer soldier of ill-fated girl Felani Khatun once again on appeal from her father following the First Court acquittal in 2013. The blindfolded court did not find the soldier guilty who had shot the bullet, but the very truth is that she was shot and killed. If the Judge is true, then who killed the girl whose body was hanging for hours from the barbed wire and then removed by the BSF and later handed over to her father on Bangladesh side for burial.
Not only her father and the family were dismayed, the entire nation feel betrayed by the mockery of justice that was handed over with the verdict. It is clear that an errant BSF man had shot her to death, but its judicial system could have restored dignity to the entire force by holding him accountable. It has invariably missed the opportunity to prove that they do not encourage such heinous crime on whoever it be — like the hapless girl for trespassing the border. We are aware of the fact that the Indian public opinion is highly critical of killing of the girl by a BSF man, but for mere arrogance and lack of courage to accept the guilt; the Indian BSF court once gain exonerated the killer, who himself has earlier admitted of killing. Felani’s killing made national and internationl headlines, it can’t be ignored and justice denied.
Reports said BSF constable Amiya Ghosh was put to second round of trial earlier this week before the General BSF Court in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district. The court on Thursday upheld the previous acquittal saying he was “not guilty”, as per a report in national dailies. We may rightly then question if he was not guilty whether the Indian BSF court would find out who else was guilty to close the case dossier. Felani’s father has rightly said he would appeal against the verdict again before India’s superior courts.
Strong criticism of the verdict is pouring from Civil Right Groups and socio-political bodies in Bangladesh while Indian Human Right Groups have also taken the court verdict critically. Banglar Manobadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), which is closely following the hearing termed the trial as “eyewash” saying the verdict was decided earlier, the court has only handed down it. The organisation will decide if it would take any more legal step in this regard, reports quoted its activists as saying.
We have to say strongly that Indian Border Security Force killed a Bangladeshi child and kept her hanging in barbed wire to show us all how brutal and shamelessly defying the members of BSF can be in dealing with the people of Bangladesh. This truth is undeniable. They are treating the case in a way to show Bangladesh is helpless but our government should take the matter seriously with the Indian government. This is a matter of honour for our people and our friendly Indian government must see to it that the BSF killers of Felani are punished. It is for BSF to know who are the guilty ones and it is for BSF to put them on trial. It is no use trying an innocent one and find him not guilty again and again.
