The High Court has upheld the death sentences of former Teknaf Police Station OC Pradeep Kumar Das and Inspector Md. Liaquat Ali in the much-discussed murder case of retired army Major Sinha Md. Rashed Khan. The court also upheld the life sentences of six accused in the verdict.

Today (Thursday), the High Court bench of Justice Md. Mostafizur Rahman and Justice Md. Sagir Hossain issued the verdict. Now, the accused can appeal against the High Court verdict within 30 days.

Earlier, on June 2 this year, the High Court upheld the death sentence of Pradeep Kumar Das and Liaquat Ali in the Major Sinha Md. Rashed Khan murder case. At the same time, the court upheld the life sentence of 6 accused. Along with the order to fine each accused Tk 50,000, the verdict also upheld the order. The accused who have been sentenced to life are – former SI of Teknaf Police Station Nandadulal Rakshit, Constable Rubel Sharma, Sagar Deb, Md. Nurul Amin, Mohammad Ayaz and Md. Nizam Uddin of Marishbunia village of Baharchara, Cox’s Bazar.

The death reference and appeal hearings of the defendants in this case concluded on May 29.

Major (Retd.) Sinha Md. Rashed Khan was shot dead by Inspector Liakat Ali, the then officer of the Baharchhara Investigation Center of the police, at the Shamlapur check post on the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive road at 9:30 pm on July 31, 2020. Five days after the incident, Sinha’s sister Sharmin Shahriar Ferdous, who was killed on August 5, 2020, filed a case in court. On December 13, 2020, RAB filed a chargesheet in court accusing 15 people. The chargesheet referred to Sinha’s murder as a ‘planned murder’.

On January 31, 2022, Judge Mohammad Ismail of the District and Sessions Judge’s Court of Cox’s Bazar announced the verdict in this case. In the verdict, OC Pradeep Kumar Das and Inspector Md. Liaqat Ali were sentenced to death and SI Nandadulal Rakshit of Teknaf Police Station and Constables Rubel Sharma and Sagar Dev were sentenced to life imprisonment. In addition, Md. Nurul Amin, Mohammad Ayaz and Md. Nizam Uddin of Marishbunia village in Baharchhara, Cox’s Bazar were sentenced to life imprisonment. The remaining seven accused were acquitted. Later, the death reference came to the High Court to confirm the death sentence. The convicted accused, who were in prison, appealed.