23 get death for killing 4

Twenty three people, including a former president of a BNP union unit in Araihazar of Narayanganj, have been sentenced to death for killing four activists of Awami League and Chhatra League in 2002.

Narayanganj Second Additional District and Sessions Judge's Court delivered the verdict yesterday, some 15 years after what victims' family members said “a gruesome political killing”.

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Among the 23 condemned, four are on the run while the others, including Abul Bashar Kashu, the then president of Sadasadi union (now defunct) unit of BNP, were present in the dock yesterday, Additional Public Prosecutor Jasmine Ahmed said.

According to the prosecution, Kashu and his people picked up Barek, his cousin Badal, Faruk, and Kabir on March 12, 2002 and tortured them to death.

All of the victims were from Delakandi area of the upazila. Barek and Badal were involved in Bangladesh Chhatra League, a pro-Awami League student body, while Faruk and Kabir were Awami League activists.

Rafiqul Islam, brother of Barek and the president of Chhatra League Araihazar unit, said before the 2001 national parliament polls, his brother and the three other victims took part in an Awami League procession.

BNP men also brought out a procession in the same area that day and at one point, participants of the processions got involved in an altercation, said Rafiqul, also the vice-chairman of Araihazar Upazila Parishad.

On March 12, 2002, some six month after the BNP-led alliance assumed power, Kashu, the then chairman of Sadasadi Union Parishad, and his men picked up Barek and Badal from Ajgar Ali Spinning Mills and took them to Laxmibardi Samaj Kalyan Office at Gopaldi. Faruk and Kabir were picked up from their homes and also taken there, Rafiqul said.

The four were tortured in “medieval style”, he said.

“Killers smashed their [victims] heads with bricks, cut off their genitals and tendons of their legs. When they sought water, they were given urine,” said Rafiqul, adding that on information police recovered them from the office.

Barek was declared dead when he was taken to a local health complex, he said. The rest died of their injuries later.

Rafiqul said an arson case was also filed against the victims while they were filing the murder case.

“It was beyond our dreams that we will get justice even after 15 years. We are happy with the verdict and want their quick execution,” he said. He also demanded police arrest the four on the run.

Prosecutor Jasmine Ahmed said as the convicts were involved in the BNP, victims' families were in fear. But after the changeover of power, the convicts joined the Awami League “to avert punishment”.

Apart from Kashu, his associates Dalim, Yakub Ali, Rafiq, Halim, Ruhel, Shahabuddin, Laikat Ali Master, Siraj Uddin, Edris Ali, Mohammad Hossain, Abu Kalam, Ahad Ali, Yunus Ali, Jahir Uddin, Faruk Hossain, Golam Azam, Abdul Hai and Khokon were present in the dock.

Al Amin, Ruhul Amin, Tajul Islam and Harun are absconding.

All the convicts are from Gopaldi area of the upazila.

Defence lawyers Bari Bhuyan and Khoshed Alam said they would appeal.