A Naogaon court on Wednesday sentenced three people to life imprisonment and eight others to different terms of jail for killing three people over land dispute in Porsha upazila of Naogaon district 22 years ago.
Judge of the Naogaon Additional District and Sessions Judge Court-1, Mohammad Ferdous Wahid, handed down the punishment, said Additional Public Prosecutor Sabbir Ahmed.
Each of the convicts has also been fined Tk50,000, with an additional one year of simple imprisonment in case of default. Eight more accused have been given various prison terms and fines, while four have been acquitted.
The three who received life sentences are Abu Bakkar Siddique (currently absconding), son of Fazlur Rahman; Amir Ali, son of Sajeman Ali; and Abdul Qadir alias Kader, son of Hasen Ali—all from Kalaibari village in Porsha Upazila.
Other convicted individuals in the case are:
Durul Huda (absconding), son of Abu Bakkar Siddique; Alim alias Alam, son of Fazlur Rahman; Abul Kashem, son of Ismail Hossain; and Wazed Ali, also son of Fazlur Rahman. Each has been sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Tk10,000. In default of the fine, they will serve an additional six months in prison.
Additionally, Tarikul Islam, son of Abdus Samad; Rezaul Karim, son of Fazlur Rahman; and Abul Kalam have each been sentenced to one year in prison.
Those acquitted in the case are Mosammat Moriyom Bibi, Kamela Begum, Kohinur Begum, and Rafiqul Islam.
According to court sources, on August 30, 2003, Abdus Samad, a farmer from Kalaibari village in Porsha Upazila, was working in his mango orchard when, at around 7am, a group of 20 to 25 people entered the orchard and attempted to illegally occupy the land.
They also uprooted several mango trees. When Abdus Samad’s wife, son, brother, and sisters tried to intervene, the accused attacked them with indigenous weapons, injuring several people on the spot.
Locals rescued the victims and took them to Porsha Upazila Health Complex, where the on-duty doctor referred three people initially—and later five more—to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment. While undergoing treatment at the hospital, Abdus Samad’s brother Shafiqul Islam, sister Selina, and her daughter Nargis died from their injuries.
Following the incident, on the same day, Abdus Samad filed a murder case with Porsha Police Station, naming 26 individuals as accused.
After 22 years of legal proceedings and testimonies from 20 witnesses, the court finally delivered its verdict.
State counsel Sabbir Ahmed expressed satisfaction with the ruling, while defence lawyer Tajrin Nahar stated that they will appeal the verdict in the higher court.