Police again fail to get evidence against accused

The police have closed investigation into the abduction of Kalpana Chakma, reportedly picked up by security forces in 1996, stating that there have not enough evidences for bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Rangamati hill district superintendent of police Tariqul Islam, also the investigation officer of the case, submitted the final report on September 7 and the report was placed before the judicial magistrate’s court on September 15.
The plaintiff, Kalindi Kumar Chakma, also Kalpana’s brother, told New Age on Monday that he would file a petition expressing his no confidence in the probe report, to the court on October 19, when the court was scheduled to hear the case.
The investigation that continued for 20 years saw 39 officers investigating the case in phases since Kalpana, a Hill Women’s Federation leader, was abducted in 1996. 
The investigators could not rescue Kalpana and the chance of her being rescued in future was ‘very thin,’ read the police report.
Kalpana’s family members were joined by rights activists and ethnic minority leaders in rejecting the police report right away. 
‘The case would have been cracked had police arrested the accused named in the first information report,’ said Kalindi. 
‘The accused were not arrested as police intentionally diverted the course of the investigation,’ alleged Kalindi.
According to Kalindi, police met them to preserve DNA sample for identification of Kalpana in case of her rescue in future. 
The Hill Women’s Federation and Parbatya Chattagram Nari Sangha in a joint statement on Monday termed the probe ‘a blueprint to protect the identified perpetrators.’
The joint statement named three suspects – than army Lt Ferdous Kawsar Khan, Village Defense Party members Nurul Huq and Saleh Ahmed – and called for their immediate arrest for ensuring justice to Kalpana and her family.
The police report claimed that no enough evidences were found to put the three, named in the first information report, before justice.
It was the same reason that led Kalpana’s family and rights activists to reject the earlier probe reports.
The family had rejected the report of a judicial inquiry commission headed by a former High Court judge that had come up with similar findings.
The commission failed to identify any abductor but resolved that ‘she had been abducted willingly or unwillingly.’ 
Later, the Criminal Investigation Department of police investigated the case and came up with similar findings. 
Police began its investigation into the case in January 2013 following a court order. The order to investigate the case further came following rejection of the CID probe report by the victim family. 
Kalpana, a bachelor’s student at the Baghaichari Kachalang College, was abducted from her village home at New Lallyaghona of Baghaichari in Rangamati the night before polling to the seventh national elections began on June 12, 1996. 
Kalpana was known to be an outspoken political activist. Her political activities inspired many among ethnic minorities, particularly women. Her abduction had outraged the nation. 
Rights activist Dipayon Khisha found it was an opportunity for the government to set an example for establishing the rule of law by bringing Kalpana’s abductors to book. 
‘But all these investigations appeared to have proved me wrong...Perhaps the rule of law is not meant to be established,’ he said.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net