The trial of 15-year-old Felani, a Bangladeshi girl who was shot dead by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) in 2011, is set to begin on August 13.
"I want justice in the case," her father Nurul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune over phone last evening. "I want punishment of the killer/s."
BSF personnel on January 7, 2011 shot dead Felani, who used to work as a domestic help in New Delhi, while she was crossing into Bangladesh over the barbed-wire fences on Kurigram border.
Her body was left hanging at the top of the barbed wire fence on the border for several hours.
The trial will be held at a BSF court in India's Cooch Behar where Felani's father and maternal uncle would go to testify, a statement of Border Guard of Bangladesh (BGB) said.
Even though border killing has been a common phenomenon, Felani's killing had sparked widespread condemnation.
Shortly after her death, BGB held a battalion-level flag meeting to protest the incident and later sent a strong protest letter to their counterpart BSF in this connection, the BGB press release mentioned.
In March, during a meeting between the heads of the border forces, BGB Director General Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed enquired about the progress of the sensational murder case.
In response, the BSF chief assured him of taking appropriate actions against the people responsible, once the trial were completed.
Subsequently, the BSF asked four Bangladeshis “two witnesses on the part of Bangladesh, a lawyer and a BGB representative“ to go to India for giving deposition in the case.
The home ministry has already approved the four people. They are BGB representative 45 Border Guard Battalion Commander Lt Col Ziaul Haque Khaled, Kurigram public prosecutor Abraham Lincoln, Felani's father Md Nurul Islam and her maternal uncle Md Abdul Hanif.
BGB has finalised all preparations for their travel to India.
The witnesses will head for 181 BSF Battalion based in Sonari of Cooch Behar on August 19 to testify in the court.
BGB hopes the trial would be held in a transparent manner to fulfil a long-standing demand of Bangladeshi people and play its part in strengthening relationships between the two neighbouring countries.
Hailing from Banarvita village in Kurigram, Felani's father Nurul Islam said the killing had put him in a distressed situation. "I had business over there. But now I have nothing. I cannot feed the children and unable to carry the cost of their education."
He demanded justice for Felani and compensation.
Banglanews adds: The BSF earlier recorded statements of three Bangladeshi witnesses, including Felani's father during a primary investigation of the murder. After the probe, BSF submitted the charge sheet against its constable Amiya Ghosh, who shot Felani with his 5.56mm INSUS rifle.
According to Indian law, Amiya Ghosh will be tried by the Indian General Securities Forces Court (GSFC) which gave an order on October 18 last year to start the trial.
The GSFC is equivalent of the Indian court martial.
On the morning of January 7, 2011, Felani and her father were returning from India as the date of her wedding had been set. Her father crossed into Bangladesh by scaling the barbed-wire fences but Felani failed as her clothes got tangled in the barbed wire on the international border 947, between pillars 3 and 4 at Anantapur of Phulbari, and she was shot dead by the BSF.
Her body remained hanging from the barbed wire fences for about four hours before the BSF soldiers took it down. They later handed over the body to the BGB.
