The parents of Felani, the 15-year-old girl shot dead by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) in 2011, have urged the citizens of Bangladesh and India to raise their voices and demand justice for their murdered daughter.
“Are we not human beings? If the government of Bangladesh took necessary actions, India could never have given the verdict in this way”, said Felani’s mother Jahanara Begum.
Her father Nurul Islam and maternal uncle Hanif Uddin also attended the media conference at Kurigram Press Club on Thursday.
Nurul Islam said the family had sent emails demanding justice for Felani to the Indian High Commissioner, the director of Kolkata-based human rights organisation Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha, and the chief executive of Bangladeshi legal aid organisation Ain o Salish Kendra.
“I request Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to take necessary steps in connection with the issue,” he added. Nurul Islam also asked the government to consult with international courts if required, and demanded compensation.
Felani’s mother Jahanara Begum added: “We are very poor people. We go to India to work and meet our hunger. My daughter was returning home to get married. BSF left my daughter’s body dangling in barbed-wire fences after shooting her. If justice is not done for this killing, the poor will never get the justice they deserve.”
On September 5, the self-confessed killer of Felani, BSF Constable Amiya Ghosh, was acquitted and pronounced not guilty by a quasi-judicial court of the BSF. The copy of the verdict has been sent to higher authorities for approval.
