It has been 28 years that Hill Women鈥檚 Federation organising secretary Kalpana Chakma, who went missing after her abduction in聽 Baghaichari of Rangamati on June 12, 1996, has remained traceless.
Her family alleged that the people accused of disappearing Kalpana were not even interrogated and the case in this regard was dismissed by a trial court recently.聽聽
鈥業n the past 28 years, the police neither interrogated the accused nor included their names in the final report. Now, the court has dismissed the case,鈥� Kalpana鈥檚 brother Kalindi Kumar Chakma told 抖阴精品 on Monday.
On October 19, 2016, Kalindi filed a no-confidence petition with the court, rejecting a police final report submitted in September 2016 that cleared all suspects.
He alleged that the people living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts areas were not getting justice under the country鈥檚 judicial system.
鈥楾he police tried to save the accused and it finally happened. We will continue our legal battle in the coming days,鈥� said Kalindi.
On April 23 this year, a Rangamati court accepted the final report submitted by the police clearing all suspects, including army鈥檚 Lieutenant Ferdous Kaisar Khan in a case filed with the Baghaichari police station by Kalindi Kumar Chakma following her disappearance.
Kalpana鈥檚 family alleged that none of the investigation officers interrogated the suspects 鈥� then army Lieutenant Ferdous Kaisar Khan, who retired from the service, Village Defence Party member Nurul Huq and police constable Saleh Ahmed.
Kalpana Chakma鈥檚 lawyer Jewel Dewan said that they would file a revision with the court against the order that dismissed the case.
鈥榃e will file the revision tomorrow [Wednesday] remembering Kalpana Chakma鈥檚 28 years of missing,鈥� the lawyer added.
Rights activist Khushi Kabir, also a member of International Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission, slammed the court dismissal of kalpana Chakma鈥檚 case accepting the police report clearing all suspects.
鈥楾he verdict has set a negative example for protection of human rights. We cannot accept the final report submitted by the police saying that as they could not find and talk to Kalpana, they cleared all suspects,鈥� said Khusi.
She said that they would continue to remember her in the coming days.
The Bangladesh government earlier informed the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances that Hill Women鈥檚 Federation organising secretary Kalpana Chakma was still missing after her abduction in Baghaichari of Rangamati in 1996.
The government in 2022 submitted its updated report about 76 cases of disappearance which were reported to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights over the years.
On August 12, 2022, the Working Group in its report stated that it urged the Bangladesh authorities to 鈥榬edouble鈥� efforts to provide additional information, including replying to its related general allegation transmitted, with a view to clarifying all outstanding cases.
Kalpana Chakma, 23, was allegedly abducted from her house in Baghaichhari on June 12, 1986, several hours before the seventh national election. She was campaigning for independent candidate Bijoy Ketan Chakma, then a senior presidium member of the Pahari Gana Parishad backed by all hill people organisations.聽聽