Although the two key suspects in the murder of Sinha Md Rashed Khan -- sacked police personnel Pradip Kumar Das and Liakat Ali -- have been given the death sentence, the family of the slain former army major has been left disappointed by the acquittal of seven others.
In an immediate reaction to the closely-watched verdict on Monday, Sinha's elder sister Sharmin Shahria Ferdous said the family's expectations were not fully met as some of those involved in the incident were let off the hook.
"We will be satisfied on the day the sentence is carried out," said Sharmin, the plaintiff in the case.
Sinha was shot dead at a police checkpoint on Cox's Bazar's Marine Drive on Jul 31, 2020.
Sinha, 36, was a member of the Special Security Force tasked with guarding the prime minister. He had gone into early retirement to pursue his personal interests, as per a bdnews24.com report.
He was filming a travel documentary in Cox's Bazar along with three others.
His death blew the lid off the misdeeds committed by Pradip, the then chief of Teknaf police, who would stage gunfights and terrorise people for money under the guise of a war on drugs.
After her brother's death, Sharmin started a murder case against nine policemen, including Pradip and Liakat.
Fifteen people were indicted in the case and on Monday, a Cox's Bazar court also sentenced six others, including three police sources, to life in jail.
But four policemen and three Armed Police Battalion members were exonerated by the court.
"We have been demanding the maximum punishment for OC Pradip and Liakat from the very beginning. That expectation has been fulfilled by today's verdict," said Sharmin.
"However, the seven people who were completely acquitted could have been given some form of punishment because they were also involved in the incident.”
Asked if there were any plans to appeal against the acquittals of the seven, she said a decision will be taken after consulting their lawyers.
