Dhaka: The High Court (HC) today upheld the sentences handed down to all convicts in the high-profile murder trial of Major (Retd) Sinha Md Rashid Khan. The decision was delivered by a High Court division bench consisting of Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman and Justice Md Sagir Hossain. The court’s ruling followed a comprehensive hearing on the death reference for Pradip Kumar Das and Liakat Ali, alongside appeals from all convicts involved in the case.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the court accepted the state’s death reference for the two death-row convicts, Pradip Kumar Das and Liakat Ali, and subsequently dismissed all appeals submitted by the convicts. The judgment was scheduled on May 29 for today’s pronouncement regarding the death references and appeals in the case. Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman represented the state during the hearing.
Major Sinha was fatally shot by police officers at the Shamlapur check post in Teknaf on July 31, 2020. At the time of the incident, he was returning from shooting videos for his YouTube channel in the village of Marishbunia. Following the tragic event, Sinha’s sister, Sharmin Shahriar Ferdous, lodged a case against nine police personnel, including the former OC of Teknaf police station Pradip Kumar Das and the former In-charge of Baharchora Police Investigation Centre Inspector Liakat Ali, with the Cox’s Bazar court on August 5, six days post the incident.
On January 31, 2022, the Cox’s Bazar District and Sessions Judge Court sentenced Pradip Kumar Das and Liakat Ali to death, while six others, including sub-inspector Nanda Dulal Rakshit and Constable Rubel Sharma, received life imprisonment. Meanwhile, seven other accused, including Armed Police Battalion sub-inspector Mohammad Shahjahan, were acquitted due to insufficient evidence against them.
The death references of the convicts were subsequently forwarded to the High Court for approval, and the convicts filed appeals against their convictions. These appeals were heard and adjudicated by the High Court, which ultimately upheld the sentences as originally determined by the lower court.