Major Sinha murder: Two hanged, six sentenced to life

MA Sattar, Cox's Bazar

The verdict was handed down in the murder case of (Retd) Major Sinha Md. Rashed Khan who was shot dead by the police at Shamlapur check post on Marine Drive Road in Teknaf on the night of July 31, 2020. Cox's Bazar District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Ismail Hossain pronounced the verdict at around 4pm on Monday (January 31).

Sinha's elder sister Sharmin Shahriar Ferdous, who was killed on August 5, has been sentenced to death and six others to life imprisonment and six others have been acquitted.

OC Pradeep Kumar Das and Inspector Liaquat Ali were given the maximum death sentence. Those sentenced to life imprisonment are SI Nandadulal Rakshita, Constables Rubel Sharma and Sagar Dev, Sources Md. Nurul Amin, Mohammad Ayaz and Md. Nizam Uddin. Besides

Constable Abdullah Al Mamun, Constable Safanul Karim, Constable Kamal Hossain Azad, Constable Md. Rajib, SI Shahajan, Constable Md. Abdullah Al Mahmud, SI Liton Mia were acquitted by the court.

At 2 pm, 15 accused including OC Pradeep Kumar were brought to the District and Sessions Judge's Court in a prison van. A large number of law enforcers cordoned off the Cox's Bazar court and surrounding areas following the announcement of the shocking verdict.

Sinha's elder sister Sharmin Shahriar Ferdous filed a case against nine policemen in Cox's Bazar court on August 5, 2020. The case was registered with Teknaf police station and handed over to RAB for investigation. On the same afternoon, 7 out of 9 accused in the case surrendered before the court.

On December 13, 2020, RAB-15 Cox's Bazar Battalion Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Khairul Islam filed a chargesheet against 15 people. The court accepted the charge sheet and at the same time accepted the final reports of the three cases filed by the police and acquitted Saidul Islam Sifat and Shipra Debnath from the case.

The case was then transferred from the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Tamanna Farah to the court of District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Ismail Hossain. The fugitive accused Constable Sagar Dev surrendered before the court on June 24, 2021.

On June 26, 2021, the court ordered the commencement of trial against 15 accused. He also set a date of July 27 to 28 to take evidence. But due to the Corona epidemic, the court proceedings were adjourned for some time and it was not possible to take evidence in time. Later, from August 23, 2021 to December 1, 2021, 65 out of 63 people testified in 6 points. On the last day of presentation of arguments, the court fixed January 31 as the date of pronouncement of judgment in the case.