Felani's father, uncle leave for India for deposition

L-R: Felani’s father Nurul Islam, Kurigram Public Prosecutor Advocate SM Abraham Lincoln, Commander of 45 BGB Battalion in Kurigram Lt Colonel Ziaul Haque Khaled and her maternal uncle Abdul Hanif. Photo: STAR

Father and uncle of Bangladeshi girl Felani, who was shot dead by Border Security Force in 2011, left Bangladesh for India on Sunday to give their depositions in the murder case.

Felani's father Nurul Islam and maternal uncle Abdul Hanif started their journey from Kurigram around 9:00am, reports our Kurigram correspondent.

They will cross the border through Burimari-Chengrabandha Land Port.

On January 7, 2011, 15-year-old Felani was shot dead by Indian BSF men when she along with her father was scaling over barbed wire fences at Anantapur border point in Phulbari upazila of Kurigram to return home.

Kurigram Public Prosecutor (PP) SM Abraham Lincoln and Commander of 45 battalion of Border Guard Bangladesh Lt Col Ziaul Haque Khaled have been accompanying the duo.

"We hope that the trial will be fair and we will get justice," Lincoln said at a press briefing, which he addressed before starting the journey in the morning.

Lincoln, who will provide legal assistance to Nurul Islam, expressed his hope that the trial would help settling the unsolved border issues between the two countries.

Indian government may also consider compensation for Felani's father, Lincoln also said.

"We will stay there (India) till August 22," Lt Col Khaled said at the press briefing.

Trial of an Indian Border Security Force (BSF) trooper began on August 13 in connection with the killing case. The force had set up a special court in Cooch Behar district town of West Bengal state of India to try the accused guard Amiya Ghosh.