Felani’s father and three others who went to Cooch Behar in West Bengal to give deposition in Felani murder case returned home Tuesday.
Felani’s father M Nurul Islam and maternal uncle M Abdul Hanif on Monday described the circumstance surrounding the killing of Felani by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF), at the General Security Force Court, a special court dealing with the case.
They were supposed to testify again Tuesday, but the court observed in the morning that it was not required.
Lt Col Ziaul Haque Khaled of BGB 45 Battalion and Kurigram public prosecutor Abraham Lincoln assisted the witnesses.
They returned home around 2:30pm through Burimari border of Lalmonirhat under special protection of the BSF, according to agencies.
Felani, a 15-year-old girl, was shot dead by BSF while she was returning to her home in Bangladesh. As she tried to climb over the barbed-wire fencing along the Anantapur border in Kurigram on January 7, 2011, her clothes got entangled in the wire and the BSF fired at her, hearing her screams.
Her body was left dangling on the barbed wire for nearly five hours and she was reportedly alive for at least four hours after being shot. The photograph of Felani’s bullet-ridden body hanging from the barbed wire was published in the local and international media, following which there was an outpouring of demand for justice.
Abraham Lincoln said over phone Tuesday: “Felani’s father and maternal uncle gave deposition on Monday at the court. Two inhabitants of Indian border areas also gave their deposition. We hope that we will get justice, and the accused will get capital punishment.”
The deposition of lone accused Amiya Ghosh was recorded on the first day of trial, on August 13. He is being tried in this court after he was found to be guilty, following a preliminary investigation into the killing.
A team of five members is conducting the trial in top secrecy and under the supervision of Assam frontier DIG (communications) CP Trivedi.
