Indian court orders Narayanganj seven-murder accused Nur Hossain's repatriation

A court in India's West Bengal state has ordered multiple-murder accused Nur Hossain to be sent back to Bangladesh.

Additional chief judicial magistrate of North 24 Parganas district Sandipan Chakrabarty gave the order on Friday at Barasat, north of Kolkata.

West Bengal government prosecutor Bikash Ranjan Dey told bdnews24.com that the magistrate accepted his plea for withdrawal of the cases of illegal trespass filed against Nur Hossain.

The government, he said, had earlier decided to withdraw the cases of illegal trespass against Nur Hossain in view of the 'more serious criminal charges against him in Bangladesh'.

"Our government has decided to accept Bangladesh's request to send back Nur Hossain to stand trial for multiple murders. He is a dangerous criminal against whom Interpol has issued a red corner notice. 

“Our government took due cognisance of that and so we appealed for dropping our charges against Hossain," said prosecutor Dey. 

He said the government had filed an appeal for withdrawal of the charges against Hossain under Sec 321 of Indian Penal Code, which judicial magistrate Chakrabarty accepted on Thursday.

Prosecutor Dey was, however, not clear about the next moves of the Indian government.

"West Bengal police will hand him over to Border Security Force. After that, it is up to the Indian central government to follow due procedures for Nur Hossain's repatriation," he said.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told bdnews24.com they were ‘ready’ for the repatriation of Nur Hossain.

“India will let us know about the matter through the foreign ministry,” he said.

Asked how much time was needed to bring the accused back, he only said, “It will be done...”

BSF officials however said Nur Hossain would be sent back soon, but refused to say how and when.

They also wished to remain anonymous because they were not authorised to brief the media on this issue as yet.

A Ministry Of External Affairs official says Nur Hossain may be extradited under the new extradition treaty that India and Bangladesh have signed.

Speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media, the official told bdnews24.com that the extradition proceedings would take a while.

"We are keen to send him back soonest. There are other legal options," he said.

Legal experts and West Bengal police officials said it might be easier to 'push back' Nur Hossain, as is done with other Bangladesh nationals charged with trespass once the case against them is disposed of or once they have served a sentence.

"Pushing back would just mean BSF receives Nur Hossain from the West Bengal police, speaks to the BGB and sets up a time and place for the pushback," said former BSF DIG Samir Kumar Mitra.

Police in Bangladesh have pressed charges against 35 people, including three former RAB officials and Awami League leader Nur Hossain.

He stands accused of masterminding the murder of his factional rival Nazrul Islam, also an Awami League leader, his lawyer Chandan Sarkar, and five others in Narayanganj.

These seven were abducted on April 27 last year. Later, their bodies were found floating in the Shitalakhyya River.

Nazrul Islam’s father-in-law claimed Hossain had bribed RAB officers to carry out the murders.

An internal investigation by RAB revealed the involvement of then RAB-11 Commander former Lt Col Tarek Sayeed Mohammad and his colleagues.

Hossain, who fled to India after the incident, was arrested in Kolkata on June 15 last year.