Liaqat shot an unarmed Sinha: Sefat
Right after Maj (retd) Sinha and Sefat revealed their identities, Inspector Liaqat ran in front of their car and put a drum in front of it.
"Stepping out of the car, I started walking towards the rear. He [Sinha] also got down. I heard him saying, 'Calm down, calm down'… Moments later, I heard the gunshots… I saw Sinha lying on the ground," Shahadul Islam Sefat, who was accompanying Sinha, told law enforcers after he was arrested on the night of July 31. The video of that conversation was broadcast on a private television channel today.
In another development, a Cox's Bazar court today placed seven people, including four policemen, each on a seven-day remand in a case filed over the killing of Major (retd) Sinha Md Rashed Khan.
Sefat, who was accused in two cases -- murder and narcotics -- filed by police following the killing, was released on bail on Monday.
"We had the camera tripod but no one could recognise it as a tripod at the time. We had no firearms while we got down from the hill."
"When we arrived at the check-post, the on-duty police officials told us, 'Ok you may go'…. Then he [Liaqat] came towards us when we started pulling up the windows [of the car] and he said, 'Wait, Say it again [our identities].'
"When we revealed our identities, he placed a drum on the road before our car..."
Moments later he heard gunshots and saw Sinha lying on the ground.
"I thought the bullet had not hit him… it was just a blank fire. …. Then I noticed Sinha in a pool of blood," Sefat said. "When Sinha got down from the car, I saw that he left his pistol [inside the car] and came out from the car with hands over his head… I was at the back of the car and I could not see his steps."
SEVEN PLACED ON REMAND
Rab had sought a 10-day remand to interrogate constables Safanur Karim, Kamal Hossain and Abdullah Al Mamum, and Assistant Sub-inspector Liton Mia, who are accused in a case filed by Sinha's sister Sharmen Shahria Ferdush.
The four policemen are among seven suspended members of the force who surrendered to a court on August 6.
The court earlier granted permission to the investigation officer (IO) to interrogate Safanur, Kamal, Mamun and Liton at the jail gate.
The IO of the case Rab Assistant Superintendent of Police Jamil Ul Haque on Tuesday also sought a 10-day remand for Nurul Amin, Nizam Uddin and Md Ayash following their arrest by Rab from Marishbania in Cox's Bazar.
The three were named as witnesses in the murder case filed by the police following the shooting.
Teknaf Senior Judicial Magistrate Tamanna Farah passed the 7-day remand orders after hearing separate remand petitions, our Cox's Bazar correspondent reports, quoting lawyer Mohammad Mostofa.
"We will take the seven accused in our custody tomorrow [Thursday] to interrogate them," said Lt Col Ashik Billah, director of Rab's legal and media wing.
Officers will start quizzing three other accused -- ex-officer-in-charge of Teknaf Police Station Pradeep Kumar Das, Inspector Liaqat Ali, and Sub-Inspector Nandadulal Rakhshit -- later he added.
The court on August 6 placed Pradeep, Liaqat Ali, and Nandadulal Rakhshit on remand for seven days. Inspector Liaqat Ali, who shot Sinha, is the prime accused in the case filed by the major's sister.
Sinha, 36, used to make travel videos for a YouTube channel called "Just Go". On the night of July 31, he was returning to Cox's Bazar from Teknaf.
His car was stopped at Shaplapur on Marine Drive by police.
Police claimed that they were about to search the vehicle when Sinha aimed his pistol at them, prompting them to shoot back in self-defence.
They also claimed that they seized drugs from the vehicle.
However, witnesses have been giving a different account of the incident. They said Sinha got down from his car, put his hands over his head, and then police shot him.
Comments