Dithering over Felani murder trial unfortunate
IT IS indeed unfortunate that the trial of the constable of the Border Security Force of India, who shot Felani dead with his 5.6mm INSUS rifle as the 15-year-old Bangladeshi girl tried to cross into Bangladesh over the barbed-wire fences on the Phulbari border in Dinajpur on January 7, 2011, has remained tangled in bureaucratic web for more than two years now.
As pointed out in a report front-paged in New Age on Monday, the proceedings in the case are yet to start because of bureaucratic complexities over physical presence of three Bangladeshi witnesses in the Indian court. The Border Guards Bangladesh, according to its director general, quoted in the report, ‘is waiting for a reply from the BSF about where and when the three witnesses should for their appearance in the Indian court’ but ‘the BSF has not replied to our queries as yet.’
The BSF did earlier record statements of the three witnesses, including Felani’s father, who was with his daughter when she was shot dead, during preliminary investigations of the murder and subsequently submitted charge sheet against the constable for trial under the Indian General Securities Court. The GSFC, which is equivalent to the Indian court martial, on October 18, 2012 ordered commencement of the trial but could not do so as the BSF failed to produce the witnesses. Meanwhile, the accused constable has been allowed to stay at his station.
In such circumstances, there are reasons to believe that the BSF may be dragging their feet in respect of the trial. The Indian government does not seem to be in any hurry either, although it has repeatedly assured its Bangladeshi counterparts of effective steps to stop killing of Bangladeshis on the border by the BSF. Suffice it to say, the trial of Felani’s killer, if conducted credibly to its logical conclusion, could certainly become a prohibitive precedent and contribute significantly to reining in the trigger-happy border guards. Regrettably, however, over the years, the Indian ruling quarters have hardly shown any signs of urgency on their part, to rein in the marauding BSF members. Of course, they have time and again offered assurances and reassurances to Dhaka but such assurances and reassurances have largely gone by default. What has, perhaps, been even more intriguing, if not infuriating, is the apparent ready acceptance of whatever that New Delhi dishes out by the Awami League-led government, although India has not appeared quite forthcoming in terms of reciprocating Bangladesh’s actions in this regard.
Be that as it may, the incumbents need to realise that the trial of the Felani murder case, if it is conducted credibly and leads to punishment of the killer, could prove to be a prohibitive precedent and contribute significantly to bringing down the incidence of border killing. Hence, they need to do their best, through cooperation and persuasion, so that the trial gets under way as soon as possible. Most importantly, they need to realise that justice delayed is justice denied.
Dithering over Felani murder trial unfortunate
IT IS indeed unfortunate that the trial of the constable of the Border Security Force of India, who shot Felani dead with his 5.6mm INSUS rifle as the 15-year-old Bangladeshi girl tried to cross into Bangladesh over the barbed-wire fences on the Phulbari border in Dinajpur on January 7, 2011, has remained tangled in bureaucratic web for more than two years now.
As pointed out in a report front-paged in New Age on Monday, the proceedings in the case are yet to start because of bureaucratic complexities over physical presence of three Bangladeshi witnesses in the Indian court. The Border Guards Bangladesh, according to its director general, quoted in the report, ‘is waiting for a reply from the BSF about where and when the three witnesses should for their appearance in the Indian court’ but ‘the BSF has not replied to our queries as yet.’
The BSF did earlier record statements of the three witnesses, including Felani’s father, who was with his daughter when she was shot dead, during preliminary investigations of the murder and subsequently submitted charge sheet against the constable for trial under the Indian General Securities Court. The GSFC, which is equivalent to the Indian court martial, on October 18, 2012 ordered commencement of the trial but could not do so as the BSF failed to produce the witnesses. Meanwhile, the accused constable has been allowed to stay at his station.
In such circumstances, there are reasons to believe that the BSF may be dragging their feet in respect of the trial. The Indian government does not seem to be in any hurry either, although it has repeatedly assured its Bangladeshi counterparts of effective steps to stop killing of Bangladeshis on the border by the BSF. Suffice it to say, the trial of Felani’s killer, if conducted credibly to its logical conclusion, could certainly become a prohibitive precedent and contribute significantly to reining in the trigger-happy border guards. Regrettably, however, over the years, the Indian ruling quarters have hardly shown any signs of urgency on their part, to rein in the marauding BSF members. Of course, they have time and again offered assurances and reassurances to Dhaka but such assurances and reassurances have largely gone by default. What has, perhaps, been even more intriguing, if not infuriating, is the apparent ready acceptance of whatever that New Delhi dishes out by the Awami League-led government, although India has not appeared quite forthcoming in terms of reciprocating Bangladesh’s actions in this regard.
Be that as it may, the incumbents need to realise that the trial of the Felani murder case, if it is conducted credibly and leads to punishment of the killer, could prove to be a prohibitive precedent and contribute significantly to bringing down the incidence of border killing. Hence, they need to do their best, through cooperation and persuasion, so that the trial gets under way as soon as possible. Most importantly, they need to realise that justice delayed is justice denied.
Dithering over Felani murder trial unfortunate
