A Dhaka court has sentenced seven people to death in a case lodged over the murder of valiant freedom fighter Atik Ullah Chowdhury.
Judge Abu Jafar Mohammad Kamruzzaman of Dhaka’s Speedy Trial Tribunal 1 handed down the verdict in presence of the convicts in the case on Wednesday, acquitting one of the accused.
The sentenced convicts are Gulzar Hossain, Ashik, Shihab Ahmed, Ahsanul Kabir Emon, Tajul Islam, Jahangir Khan, and Rafikul. Five of the convicts are currently on the run.
The convicts were sentenced a further seven years in jail and fined 50,000 each for burning down the victim’s body after the murder in an attempt to destroy evidence of the crime.
Also Read - 3 get death penalty for killing child in Narayanganj
Two of the convicts -- Jahangir and Rafikul -- and the acquitted named Shampa, are currently behind bars.
According to case details, Atik, a leader of local Awami League unit and former chairman of Konda union under Keraniganj upazila, went missing on December 10, 2013.
His partially burnt body was recovered from beside a hospital in the Doleswar area of Keraniganj the following day.
After murdering Atik, the killers set his body on fire to hide his identity. However, documents and a bank ATM card found just beside the body indicated that the body belonged to Atik. His son Saidur Rahman Faruk Chowdhury provided further confirmation by identifying his father.
A case was filed with Keraniganj Model police station following the discovery of Atik’s body. On January 31, 2015, police submitted a charge sheet against eight people in connection with the case.
On July 2, 2015, a court framed charges against the accused.
