Shipra provides sensitive information about Sinha’s death: RAB

Shipra Rani Debnath, an associate of Major (retd) Sinha Mohammad Rashed Khan, who was shot dead by police in Teknaf, has given sensitive information to Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) during a questioning after her release from jail.

Lt Col Ashiq Billah, director (legal and media wing) of RAB, said this at a press briefing on Monday.

He said Shipra was first questioned as a witness in Sinha's death after she was released on bail on Monday.

"Shipra has given us a lot of sensitive information," said Ashiq Billah, adding that they will now question Shahedul Islam Sifat, a student who was with Sinha when he was killed in police firing in Cox's Bazar.

After the interrogation of the witnesses, three accused in the Sinha death case will be brought to RAB's custody and interrogated, he said.

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The RAB official said they would seek a 10-day remand for the four prime accused in the case filed against the police in connection with the death of Major Sinha.

According to RAB, in the case statement filed by the police, there is no laptop or camera device on the seizure list. After questioning Sifat and Shipra, the investigating officer will be asked about this.

The investigating officer can include any member of his force for the purpose of investigation.

In response to a question, Ashiq Billah said that the phone conversation of suspended Teknaf Officer-in-Charge Pradeep Kumar Das, which was reported in the media, was initially found to be true. The legal adviser's phone call is being verified now.

Meanwhile, a Cox's Bazar court on Monday granted bail to Sifat in two cases.

The two cases of murder and narcotics were filed with Teknaf Police Station.

Later in the afternoon, a number-plate-less microbus took away Sifat in front of the Cox's Bazar jail and his family members said that it is also a matter of concern for them.

"He could not even cross the premises of the jail and could not talk to the media and his guardians," said Md Masum Billah, an uncle of Sifat.

The court also changed the investigation officers of both the cases and directed the authorities to handover the charges to RAB.

On Sunday, Shipra Debnath, a filmmaker and student of Stamford University's Film and Media Studies Department, walked out of jail eight days after she was "falsely implicated" in a narcotics case filed by Ramu Police Station over the same incident.

Major (retd) Sinha had been in Cox's Bazar with the students to make a documentary film. Earlier on July 31 night, Sinha was killed in a police firing on Cox's Bazar's Marine Drive.

After the shooting, police arrested Sifat, who was travelling with the retired major, at the spot while Shipra was picked up from a local resort. The duo was accused in two different lawsuits – attempted murder and narcotics cases.

On August 1, police produced them before the Cox's Bazar court and the court sent them to jail.

'Okay sir, I am doing it'

Shahedul Islam Sifat, who had been accompanying retired army Major Sinha Mohammad Rashed Khan on July 31 night from Teknaf to Cox's Bazar, claimed Sinha's murder looked like it was pre-meditated.

The private university student said the police inspector Liyakot, who shot Sinha, was talking over his mobile phone and seemed to be carrying out the command he received from the other side during the firing.

"While talking over the phone, he addressed the other side as 'sir' and also replied, 'Okay sir, I am doing it'. Then he shot Sinha," Sifat told the home ministry probe body on Tuesday as the team visited him at Cox's Bazar jail.