A report in the New Nation on Saturday said 11 years have elapsed since the gruesome killing of teen age girl Felani by Indian BSF members in the Kurigram border and her family is yet waiting to get justice from the Indian government. The poor family passed the anniversary of her murder on Friday in utter desperation for justice and human rights organization here also renewed call for expediting justice. She was gunned down at dawn on that day and left hanging for hours as she was crossing fenced border for which she could be charged at least for three months prison for unauthorized trespassing.
The saga of her case in the Indian court is daunting. Protest from Bangladesh and global outcry at the inhuman treatment of her dead body triggered the global call for justice. It forced BSF to open an investigation into the killing but the constable charged for the killing was acquitted by a special court. Amid criticisms, BSF later revised the trial in 2015 but another judicial court acquitted him for the second time from the charge of killing.
Need mention that Felani’s father later moved to the Indian Supreme Court with assistance of Indian human rights groups. The full bench headed by the chief justice accepted the petition and issued show-cause notice on several Indian government organizations including the Indian home ministry. But the date for hearing was postponed repeatedly. The latest hearing was scheduled for August 28, 2018 but was not finally held.
We are shocked by the repeated delay in taking up the hearing although we have full confidence in the Indian highest court of justice. It is true that the outbreak of Covid-19 has made the situation difficult to keep any schedule. But it is also noticeable the outmaneuvering of the Indian government and its lower judiciary to kill the case to set the accused free. We would say it is scandalous to deny proper justice to the poor teen age who was working as a home maid in the Indian capital.
Felani murder is part of BSF killings of many poor unarmed people on the Bangladesh border every year. They are enjoying full impunity on every such case making Bangladesh-India border the worst killing ground only next to Israel-Palestine border. So far no protest had worked but we wait how the Indian Supreme Court would deliver justice in the Felani case.
