Last Updated on August 5, 2020, 9:23 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The death of a former bodyguard of Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, has disturbed the Eid holidays in Bangladesh.
Retired Major Sinha Mohammed Rashed Khan was shot allegedly in the chest by the members of the police force on Friday near Cox’s Bazar.
After that, multiple versions of the incident have come forward, raising doubts regarding the precise sequence of events which took Sinha’s life.
The police force has claimed that the former commando aimed his pistol at them and they shot back on him in self-defence.
However, several media reports have said that there was a two-hour delay in taking him to the hospital even when he was critically wounded, raising questions regarding the role of the local police.
After the incident, 20 policemen, including the inspector in charge of the check post, were withdrawn from their active duty.
Sinha had retired in the year 2018 from the Special Security Force, which is responsible for the protection of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina.
According to Sinha’s family members, he was planning on starting a YouTube channel which would document his international travels.
Two sisters and his mother survive the 36-year old.
The apparent murder of Sinha is being highlighted as the incident which took place on the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf highway, that is known to be the chosen route for drugs and weapons which arrive in Bangladesh from Myanmar.
The 80-km-long drive is also famous as a tourist attraction and is also a strategically important entry point for Bangladesh.
The Rohingya refugee camps of Kutupalong which are located near Teknaf have also added to the law and order burden of the area.
The first response of the Government was to constitute an investigating team which is led by the Cox’s Bazar’s Additional District Magistrate.
However, in the view of the growing public anger, the investigation was upgraded, and it would be led by Mohammed Mizanul Rahman, the Additional Departmental Commissioner.
The committee was ordered by the Public Security wing of the Home Ministry of Bangladesh to submit its report in a week.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
