7 JMB men to die for killing Khadem

A Rangpur court on Sunday sentenced seven members of banned militant outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh(JMB) to death in a case filed over the killing a Khadem (caretaker) of a shrine in Kaunia Upazila in 2015, reports UNB.

The condemned convicts are JMB Rangpur region commander Masud Rana, its members -- Isahq Ali, Liton Mia alias Rafiq, Sarwar Hossain alias Sabu, Bijoy alias Ali, Shakhawat Hossain and Chandu Mia.

Chandu Mia was tried in absentia. The court also fined them Tk 20,000 each of them.

The court also acquitted six JMB members -Abu Sayed, Towfiqul Islam, Sadat alias Ratan, Jahangir Hossain alias Rajib, Babul Akhter and Najibul Islam as allegations brought against them could not be proved.

On 5 March, a court fixed 18 March for delivering the verdict in the case.

According to the prosecution, miscreants hacked and slaughtered Rahmat Ali, khadem of a shrine, to death at Chaitarmore of Tepamadhupur union in the Kaunia Upazila while he was returning home from a local bazar on 10 November 2015.

Victim’s son lawyer Shafiqul Islam filed a murder case with the Kaunia police station.

After investigation, police pressed charges against 15 JMB members.

The court, on 16 August in 2017, dropped two accused -- Nazrul Islam alias Bike Hasan, of Panchagarh and Saddam Hossain of Kurigram, from the chargesheet as they were killed in a gunfight with the law enforcers and framed charge against 12 accused.