OC Pradeep, SI Liyakat, 5 others suspended over Ex-Major Killing

The Bangladesh Police have suspended all seven suspects, including immediate past Teknaf police station officer-in-charge Pradeep Kumar Das, who are now in jail custody over the killing of retired army major Sinha Mohammad Rashed Khan in police firing at a check post in Cox’s Bazar on July 31.

The police headquarters issued the suspension of Pradeep and Liyakat on Thursday night while the Cox’s Bazar police authorities suspended the rest.

Cox’s Bazar police superintendent ABM Masud Hossain said that all of them were suspended from their jobs after the court sent them to jail.

Cox’s Bazar police authorities have also transferred two police officers from the Teknaf police station who are said to be ‘very trusted men’ of Pradeep Kumar Das.

Teknaf police station assistant sub-inspector Sanjib Dutta was transferred to the Pekua police station while ASI Mithun Bhowmik was sent to the district special branch in Cox’s Bazar, said the Cox’s Bazar police superintendent without further details.

A police official said that both the police officials were ‘highly trusted’ to Pradeep and they were transferred so that they in no way could hamper or influence the investigation.

Rapid Action Battalion investigators for the case said that they had started their investigation into the killing and found the way of how they could proceed.

A judicial magistrate court on Thursday remanded Pradeep Kumar Das, Md Liyakat Ali and sub-inspector Nanda Dulal Rakshit for seven days in RAB custody after they surrendered in connection with a case filed on Wednesday over the killing.

The court also sent the four other suspected policemen to jail allowing the investigators to interrogate them at the jail gate.

Cox’s Bazar jail superintendent Mokammel Hossain said that neither the RAB investigators took them for interrogation nor the jail authorities received the court order in favour of it.

RAB-15 commanding officer Wing Commander Azim Ahmed said that they received all documents from the court and were proceeding to start the interrogation shortly.

Of the seven suspects, inspector Pradeep surrendered to the Chattogram Metropolitan Police authorities in response to the murder case filed by Sinha’s eldest sister Sharmen Shahria Ferdush and was taken to the judicial magistrate court in Cox’s Bazar.

The rest six, including prime suspect Baharcchara Investigation Centre in-charge Md Liyakat Ali who reportedly shot dead the retired major at the check post, also surrendered to that court.

Sinha’s eldest sister Sharmen named as suspects OC Pradeep, inspector Md Liyakat Ali, sub-inspectors Nanda Dulal Rakshit and Tutul, assistant sub-inspector Liton Mia and constables Safanur Karim, Kamal Hossain, Abdullah Al Mamun and Mohammad Mostafa.

Cox’s Bazar district court police inspector Pradip Kumar Das said that against the nine suspects named by the complainant, the authorities did not find any persons named Tutul and Mosfata.

Unmarried Sinha Mohammad Rashed Khan, 36, who took early retirement from the Bangladesh Army in November 2018, was shot dead at a police check point on Cox’s Bazar–Teknaf Marine Drive at Shamlapur under Teknaf upazila in Cox’s Bazar on July 31.

The killing touched off a wave of protest across the country.

Two of the former major’s associates — Shipra Debnath and Shahedul Islam Sefat — were also arrested following the incident. Their fellows held rally in front of the national museum on Friday demanding their release.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net