Probe body yet to quiz Sinha murder key accused OC Pradeep

The home ministry's high-level investigation committee has completed the interrogation for Monday without quizzing one of the prime accused suspended Teknaf Police Station in-charge Pradeep Kumar Das in the Major (retd) Sinha Mohammad Rashed Khan murder case.

The committee quizzed the other two key accused, Baharchara Investigation Centre's inspector Liakat Ali and sub-inspector Nanda Dulal Rakkhit, for seven hours from 10:43 am at the Cox's Bazar jail gate.

Md Mokammel Hossain, superintendent of Cox's Bazar District Jail, confirmed the matter to The Business Standard.

An official from the prison told The Business Standard that the two accused were quite normal in front of the probe committee.

"They looked normal even after committing such a heinous crime. At one point, Liakat and Nanda Dulal told the committee that what they had done, they did accordingly. I followed my seniors' command before I shot him for self-defence," a source, who was present at the jail gate, quoted Liakat as telling the committee.

"When asked by the investigators, if he had shot in self-defence, why he had shot Sinha in the chest and the shoulder instead of any other body parts, Liakat could not satisfy the probe committee with his reply," the source told The Business Standard.

Later in the evening, the probe committee left the Cox's Bazar jail, and they might interrogate the other prime accused, Pradeep Kumar Das, on Tuesday noon.

"It was a tactic to unveil the truth. We will quiz him tomorrow [Tuesday]," said a member of the probe body.

The source said the committee tried to get three answers from the two prime accused: Was it a pre-planned murder? Was Sinha carrying a gun while he was coming out of his car? Did the policemen receive any order from their high-ups to shot Sinha dead?

Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, additional divisional commissioner of Chattogram, is heading the investigation committee.  

Md Jakir Hossain, additional deputy inspector general of Chattogram range, Mohammad Shahjahan Ali, additional district magistrate of Cox's Bazar, and Lt Colonel Sajjad, who has been nominated by Ramu 10 Infantry Division GOC and who is working at the Prime Minister's Office, are the members of the committee.

After finishing interrogation of the three accused, the committee will interrogate seven other accused, who are currently on a seven-day remand.

The seven accused are suspended assistant sub-inspector Liton Miah, constables Safanur Karim, Kamal Hossain and Abdullah Al Mamun, and three witnesses Nurul Amin, Nizam Uddin and Md Ayas.

Earlier on July 31 night, Sinha was killed in police firing on Cox's Bazar Marine Drive.

RAB DG visited Sinha murder spot

Meanwhile, Director General of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Chowdhury Md Abdullah Al Mamun visited the Sinha murder spot at Shamlapur Armed Police check post on the Teknaf Marine Drive road on Monday afternoon.

During the visit, Lt Col Sarwar Bin Kashem, director of RAB's intelligence wing, Lt Col Ashique Billah, director of the elite forcer's legal and media wing, and Khairul Islam, the newly-appointed investigation officer of the Sinha murder case, tried to display a dummy of the Sinha murder incident.   

The vehicle of RAB chief was going through the road at a speed of 40-45 kilometres and the trio acted in the same way the incident took place on that night. 

The team also played a "fake shooting" in an effort to make the incident clear to the RAB chief.

The team also copied the eyewitnesses who had described the incident before the media saying, "A person was coming out of a vehicle, bowing down his head and at that time shots were fired."

The RAB chief later talked with the eyewitnesses of the Baitun Nur Jame Masjid, and asked them how they saw the incident so clearly on that night.

"There is a sodium light just adjacent to the check post and that is why we could experience the incident better," said an eyewitness.  

Replying to several questions of journalists, Chowdhury Md Abdullah Al Mamun said the investigation is underway and there is progress in it.

"It would not be better if we comment on an under-investigation matter. Police and local administration are cooperating with us very nicely. You will get the update of the investigation very soon," he added.

Shipra may sue 'police officials'

Shipra Rani Debnath, who was accompanying Major Sinha for making the travel documentary, has told the media that she will file a case under the Digital Security Act against the police officers who had posted her personal photos on Facebook.

"The night after Major Sinha's assassination, police took two monitors, a laptop, a desktop, a camera, a lens, three hard drives and our phone devices from our cottage," she said. "There is no mention of any of the items on the seizure list. I do not know how and from whom I will get them back."

"Some of the reputed police officials with the perverted brain have published and spread our pictures from our personal profiles and devices that police took on that night, and shared them on different social media including Facebook. Fake Facebook and Instagram IDs have been opened in my name," she added.

Shipra said, "I promised to pursue appropriate legal procedures under the Digital Security Act against each of them who have made my personal life unbearable by making various pictures and videos public."

At the same time, Shipra Debnath has demanded justice for Rashed's murder.