Kalpana Chakma abduction case: SP again fails to submit report and Court set new date 7 April for submission

Superintendent of Police (SP) of Rangamati district Ms. Amena Begum was supposed to submit her report to the Rangamati Court on 6 March 2014 but she could not submit her report. A new submission date 7 April 2014 was given from the court.

The judge at the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court did not come on 6 March 2014 and his junior gave this order. In the meantime, Amena Begum said that she spoke to Lt. Ferdous and the two suspected VDP officers last year and took their testimony for her report.

Kalindi Kumar Chakma, brother of Kalpana Chakma, had given a na-raji to the DNA test but the court stayed that order. The Officer-in-Charge of Baghaichari police station Md. Rafikullah sent a junior officer to Kalindi Kumar Chakma 23 January 2014 evening and asked him to accompany him to Chittagong for a DNA test. Kalindi Kumar was not clear about the purpose of this DNA test and also was not told anything in advance about it. His lawyer Jewel Dewan was also not told anything about any DNA test either. Hence, Kalindi Kumar refused to go with the police officer.

On 12 June 1996 at mid-night Kalpana Chakma (23), the Organizing Secretary of Hill Women’s Federation (HWF), was abducted from her home at New Lalyaghona under Baghaichari upazila in Rangamati district. Her brother Kilindi Kumar Chakma identified the abductor as then Lieutenant Ferdous of Kojoichari army camp and two Village Defence Party (VDP) personnel Nurul Haq and Saleh Ahmed. Mr. Kalindi Kumar Chakma filed a case against them after the incident on 12 June 1996 with Baghaichari police station case file no-2, dated 12/06/96 under section 364 Kidnapping or abducting in order to murder. There have been much national and international news, reports, human chains took place demanding Kalpana Chakma’s justice in last 17 years, but sad news is that justice for Kalpana Chakma is not ensured yet. The case is now being investigated by the police superintendent of Rangamti.

In 2010, Rangamati court ordered the reinvestigation of Kalpana Chakma’s case when Kalindi Kumar Chakma, formally expressed his discontent with the findings. A new Final Report was submitted after two years of investigation on 26 September 2012. The human rights activists rejected CID’s final report on the case of abduction of Kalpana Chakma and demanded independent, impartial and credible investigation into the abduction since the investigation report already created questions about the justice of abduction of Kalpana Chakma.

In January 2013, Kalindi Kumar Chakma once again submitted a Court Order expressing his discontent with the latest findings and failure to investigate the accused suspects during the original investigation. As a result, the court rejected the Final Report and instructed the Police Superintendent Amena Begum of Rangmati Hill District to further conduct an investigation into the case and stated that every effort should be given to rescuing the victim Kalpana Chakma. Following the fact, SP Amena Begum failed to submit her investigation report on 10 December 2013 the Rangamati Court gave her a new date and asked her to submit the report on 26 January 2014.