Sinha murder case: Ex-Forces Association demands quick execution of verdict

The Ex-Forces Association has demanded the execution of former OC Pradeep Kumar Das and police inspector Liaqat Ali within seven days after the completion of the appeal hearings over the murder of Maj (retd) Sinha Mohammad Rashed Khan in Cox's Bazar in 2020.

The association, which is a platform of retired military and paramilitary personnel, also called for the appeal and death reference hearings to be completed within a month.

They made the demand at a press conference held at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity on Saturday.

Lieutenant Commander (Retd) Mohammad Mehedi Hasan voiced the demands on behalf of the association.

In a stern warning, he said, “If the caretaker government fails to implement the sentence within seven days after the appeals are resolved, we will be compelled to announce tougher actions.”

On Jul 31, 2020, Sinha was shot dead at a checkpoint on the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive in Shamlapur.

After taking early retirement from the army, Sinha had travelled to Cox’s Bazar with a team to film a travel documentary.

His killing sparked a national outcry, and the case soon exposed deep issues of abuse of power within the police.

In 2022, a court in Cox’s Bazar sentenced former Teknaf Police Station chief Pradip Kumar Das and Baharchhara Outpost chief Liaqat Ali to death for the murder.

Six others, including three police officers and three police informants, were handed life imprisonment for assisting in the killing and attempting to cover it up.

Four other policemen and three members of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) were acquitted due to lack of evidence.