The General Security Forces Court or GSFC of India’s Border Security Force has upheld a previous court of inquiry verdict absolving its trooper Amiya Ghose of murder charges.
Ghose was accused of murdering Bangladeshi girl Felani Khatun.
The BSF has not formally announced the GFSC verdict as it needs clearance of its Director General.
But BSF sources and counsel of Felani’s family told that the GFSC has found Ghose not guilty after extensive deliberations on Thursday night.
Felani’s family can challenge the GFSC verdict in an Indian court.
Felani’s father Nurul Islam rejected the verdict claiming justice had not been done.
“I testified twice. Amiya Ghose should have hanged. But instead of that, the Indian government made a mockery of us in the name of trials. I will again appeal for a proper trial.”
Kurigram Judges Court Public Prosecutor Abraham Lincoln, who provided legal assistance to Felani’s family, told : “This verdict raised questions about India’s judicial system. Due to this verdict, BSF will become more desperate about border killings.”
Kurigram BGB director Lt Col Zakir Hossain refused to comment on the issue. “We did not officially get the verdict yet. When we do, senior authorities will decide.”
The GFSC is the BSF’s own court and the five senior officials, who sat on judgement over the Felani murder, had also conducted the initial court of inquiry against Ghose.
On 6 June 2013, the initial court of inquiry had acquitted Ghose of the murder charges and found him not guilty.
Felani was killed and her dead body left hanging on the border fence for several hours in January 2011.
She was trying to cross back to her country Bangladesh from India with her father after her marriage was settled.
After a huge furore over the initial court of inquiry in Bangladesh, the BSF ordered a fresh look at the case in September last year.
But BSF trooper Amiya Ghose lost consciousness after four days of hearing and his blood pressure was reported to be very high.
Later, he was found to be suffering from kidney ailments and put on dialysis.
The final hearing at the GFSC started on June 30 and continued until late on Thursday.
West Bengal’s human rights group MASUM, which had closely followed the trial, has rubbished the GFSC verdict.
Its chief Kirity Roy has described the verdict as ‘pre-meditated’ and said the BSF had decided to protect their own trooper at any cost.