Killing of Jhalakathi Judges: JMB man hanged

Asadul Islam alias Arif, an operative of banned militant outfit JMB who was condemned to death for killing two Jhalakathi judges in 2005, was hanged at Khulna jail last night.

“The sentence was executed at 10:30pm,” Jail Superintendent Kamrul Islam told The Daily Star, adding that the body was handed over to Arif's family.

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Khulna Deputy Commissioner Nazmul Ahsan, DIG Prisons (Jessore) Tipu Sultan, Magistrate Md Nur-e-Alam Siddique, Civil Surgeon Abdur Razzak and Kamrul Islam were present during the execution, reports our correspondent.

Earlier in the day, family members of Arif, including his wife, two daughters and six sisters, met him at the jail, where he had been kept since 2008.

On May 29, 2006, a Jhalakathi court sentenced to death Arif and six other top militants, including Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) supremo Shayakh Abdur Rahman and his deputy Siddiqul Islam Bangla Bhai, for killing senior assistant judges Jagannath Pandey and Sohel Ahmed in a suicide blast in the district town.

Arif was on the run when the verdict was announced. He was arrested from Mymensingh on July 10, 2007, months after six other condemned accused in the case were hanged on March 29 in 2007 at different jails.  

Except Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai, four others are Abdul Awal, JMB's Majlish-e-Shura (highest decision-making body) member and Rahman's son-in-law, Ataur Rahman Sunny, the outfit's military commander and Rahman's youngest brother, suicide bomber Iftekhar Hasan Mamun and another Shura member Khaled Saifullah.

Arif is from Bandargashiya of Barguna Sadar upazila.