Revision trial of Felani murder resumes Tuesday

The revision trial of the murder of Bangladesh national Felani will begin again on Tuesday at a special court constituted by Border Security Force (BSF) in Cooch Behar district of India’s West Bengal state. Felani Khatun, a young woman, was shot dead by a group of BSF troops on January 7, 2011, when she was crossing the barbed-wire fences along Anantapur border point in Bangladesh’s northern district of Kurigram. Felani, who used to work as a domestic help in New Delhi, was returning home from India along with her father early in the morning on January 7, 2011. Although her father managed to get inside Bangladesh border by scaling up the barbed-wire fence, Felani was shot dead by the BSF men before she was able to do so. The Indian border guards handed over the body of Felani on January 8. After and investigation, the BSF submitted the charge sheet against its constable Amiya Ghosh who shot the Bangladeshi woman. However, On August 19, 2013, a special court constituted by the BSF had acquitted Amiya Ghosh from the charge. Meanwhile, in the wake of widespread criticism for the acquittal of a BSF member of the charge of killing Felani, BSF decided to revise the murder trial. Earlier, on November 16, 2014, the revision trial was resumed at the court. The revision trial was scheduled to begin on September 22 but the court later deferred it, according to a news agency.