23 to die for killing 4 AL activists
A Narayanganj court on Wednesday handed death sentence to 23 people including the then Araihazar thana unit BNP vice-president, now a local Awami League leader Abul Bashar Kashu for killing four AL activists of Jalakandi, Araihazar, Narayanganj on March 12, 2001.
The second additional district additional district and sessions judge Kamrunnahar delivered the verdict.
At the time of the murder, Kashu was chairman of Gopaldi union parishad.
The four murder victims were Al-Amin, his cousin Ruhul Amin, Tajul Islam and Harun.
Only 19 out of the 23 condemned convicts were in the dock while four others are in hiding.
The victims were abducted, hacked and burnt to death.
From the dock, Kashu, Md Dalim, Yakub Ali, Rafiqul Islam, Halim, Ruhel, Shahabuddin, Liakat Ali Master, Siraj Uddin, Idris Ali, Mohammad Hossain, Abu Kalam, Ahad Ali, Yunus Ali, Jahir Uddin, Faruque Hossain, Golam Azam, Abdul Hai and Khokon, all condemned convicts heard the verdict being delivered.
The absconders include Al-Amin, Ruhul Amin, Tajul Islam and Harun.
Later, Narayanganj additional public prosecutor Jasmin Ahmed told reporters that on March 12, 2001 morning the condemned convicts were abducted four AL activists – Abdul Barek, his cousin Badal, Omor Faruque and Kabir Hossain, all from their homes at Jalakandi area under Araihazar upazila in Narayanganj.
He said they were hacked and burned to death.
Barek’s father Asgar Ali lodged a case with Araihazar police station naming 18 people including Kashu, he said.
The Araihazar police, on completion of the investigation, submitted charge sheet in 2002 naming 23 people and mentioning names of 21 prosecution witnesses.
At the trial stage, 16 prosecution witnesses were examined.
Victim Barek’s brother Shafiqul Islam told reporters at the court premises that they were happy with the verdict though it needed over 16 years to get justice. ‘We want immediate execution of the verdict after completion of all the legal process.’
Defence lawyer Khorshed Alam Molla claimed that his clients did not get justice and that his clients would appeal to the High Court challenging the trial court’s verdict.
Kashu along with his activists joined ruling Awami League from BNP on October 21, 2014 in a meeting attended by the local AL lawmaker Nazrul Islam Babu.
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