Dipan murder: All 8 accused awarded death sentence

A Dhaka court on Wednesday awarded death sentence to all eight accused in the case filed over murder of Jagriti Prokashoni publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan.

The court of Dhaka anti-terrorism tribunal judge Md Mujibur Rahman passed the sentence in presence of six accused.

The eight accused are Mainul Hasan Shamim alias Sifat Samir, Abdus Sabur alias Abdus Samad, Khairul Islam Jamil alias Jamil Rifat, Abu Siddique Sohel alias Sakib Sajid, Mojammel Hussain alias Saimon, Sheikh Abdullah alias Jubair, sacked major Syed Ziaul Haque and Akram Hossain alias Hasib. Among them, Zia and Akram remain fugitives.

The six accused brought to the dock around 11:30am. All of the accused were with bullet-proof jackets and helmets.

Security was beefed up in and around the court before announcing the sentence.

On 13 October 2019, the tribunal framed charges against eight members of banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) in the case.

The court also issued arrest warrants against ex-Major Ziaul and Akram as they are on the run.

Major Syed Ziaul Haque, the mastermind of the killing, was suspended from the Bangladesh Army.

On 30 October 2018, the charge-sheet in the case was sent to the home ministry for approval before submission to the court as the case was filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Publisher Dipan, son of professor Abul Kashem Fazlul Huq of Dhaka University, was hacked to death in his office on the second floor of Aziz Supermarket at Shahbagh in the city on 31 October 2015.

A case was filed with Shahbagh police station the following day and later the case was transferred to Detective Branch.

Police on 15 November 2019, pressed charges against the eight ABT men in the case.