Five Chhatra League men to die for killing JU student Zubair

The High Court has confirmed the death penalty for five activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League in a case filed over the murder of Jahangirnagar University student Zubair Ahmed in 2012. A High Court bench of Justice Bhabani Prasad Singha and Justice Mustafa Zaman delivered the verdict on Wednesday. The death-row convicts are Khandaker Ashiqul Islam alias Ashik, Jahid Hasan and Khan Mohammad Rois alias Sohan of zoology at the same university, Rashidul Islam Raju of philosophy, and Mahbub Akram of government and politics. All of them except for Raju are on the run. The bench also upheld the life sentence for two accused and acquitted four others, who were initially sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court some three years ago. The four are Avinondon Kundu Avi, Md Kamruzzaman alias Sohag, Md Majharul Islam and Md Shafiul Alam alias Setu. On January 8, 2012, Zubair, an honours final year student of English at JU, was stabbed to death by members of an opposing faction of the ruling Awami League’s student front over their previous animosity and political rage. On February 23, 2014, Ashik, Sohan, Akram and Ishtiaq Mehbub Arup, who was, too, sentenced to life imprisonment by the lower court, escaped from the courtroom soon after it had rejected their bail pleas and sent them to jail. Sources said all of the fugitive convicts had fled to Malaysia and are active on different social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram.

Family’s reactions

Though Zubair’s family and relatives hailed the verdict, they at the same time cast doubt on execution of the verdict, as most of the convicts are living abroad. “We are satisfied as the High Court reaffirmed the death penalty for five accused. But simultaneously, we are unhappy as four other accused were acquitted,” the victim’s elder brother Abdullah Al Mamun told the Dhaka Tribune. “Also, we are concerned over execution of the verdict since almost all of the killers are roaming freely in Malaysia.” “If police fail to bring them back home, what is the importance of delivering such a judgment?” he asked the question. Mamun, a private university teacher, urged the government to take necessary measures to execute the verdict. He also suggested seeking assistance from Interpol in bringing them back home. Echoing Mamun, Zubair’s friend Arafat Noman expressed satisfaction over the verdict and demanded it be implemented as soon as possible.