Bus driver, 2 others sentenced to death for killing NSU student

Convicted Hanif Paribahan bus driver Jamal Hossain, his helper Faisal Hossain and supervisor Jonny
Asaduzzaman

A Dhaka court on Sunday awarded death sentence to three including a bus driver in a case filed over the murder of North South University (NSU) student Saidur Rahman Payel.

The court of Dhaka speedy trial tribunal-1 judge Abu Zafar Mohammad Kamruzzaman pronounced the verdict and sent the three convicted to jail.

The convicted are Hanif Paribahan bus driver Jamal Hossain, his helper Faisal Hossain and supervisor Jonny. Jamal and Faisal are brothers.

In a reaction to Prothom Alo, deceased Payel’s father Golam Maula said his son was killed in a barbaric manner. He wants quick implementation of the verdict.

Court records said on 2 April last year, a tribunal framed charges against the three people for killing Payel in 2018. The state presented 14 witnesses before the court in the case.

Payel, a fifth semester NSU student and son of a certain Golam Mawla of CDA area in Halishahar of Chattogram, was found dead in a canal at Bhaterchar in Gazaria upazila of Munshiganj on 23 July 2018.

Saidur went missing after starting out for Dhaka from Chattogram with two of his friends, Akibur Rahman and Mohiuddin, by a Hanif Paribahan bus on the night of 21 July 2018. Gazaria police recovered Saidur's body from a canal in Bhaterchar Bridge area in Munshiganj on 23 July.

Saidur’s maternal uncle filed a case was against three people, including the driver, helper and supervisor of ‘Hanif Paribahan’ bus, with Gazaria police station the next day.

Saidur Rahman Payel
File photo

Jonny confessed to his involvement in the killing after his arrest from Motijheel in the capital. Police later arrested bus driver Jamal and helper Faisal from Arambagh, Dhaka.

Police submitted the charge sheet on 3 October that year.

The charge sheet said Saidur got down the bus to urinate as the bus got stuck in traffic. As the bus started moving when the traffic jam eased, Payel started running to catch the bus.

The driver eventually stopped the bus but Payel collided with the bus entrance and fell unconscious, bleeding profusely from his mouth and nose. Instead of taking him to hospital, the three accused threw his body into the canal around 4:30am when he was still breathing.

The case was shifted to the speedy trial tribunal from Munshiganj court in December last year.