7 sentenced to death for killing Freedom Fighter in Keraniganj

A tribunal in Dhaka today sentenced seven people to death for killing and burning the body of Atik Ullah Chowdhury, a valiant freedom fighter and former chairman of Konda union under Keraniganj upazila, in 2013.

The convicts are: Gulzar Hossain, Md Asif, Shihab Ahmed, Ahsanul Kabir Emon, Tajul Islam, Jahangir Khan, and Rafikul Islam. Of them, Jahangir and Rafikul Islam are behind bars while the rest are fugitive.

The tribunal acquitted Shampa as her involvement with the killing was not proven.

Judge Abu Jafar Md Kamruzzaman of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 handed down the verdict in presence of the three accused at the court.

The punishment of the fugitives will be effective from the day of their arrest or surrender, the judge said.

Earlier, the prosecution and defence completed their arguments and the court recorded statements of 11 prosecution witnesses including complainant of the case.

The tribunal framed charges against eight accused on July 2 of 2015.

According to the case documents, Chowdhury, also a leader of the local unit of Awami League, went missing on December 10, 2013. His partially burnt body was recovered from beside a hospital in Doleswar area in Keraniganj, the next day.

Killers, after murdering Atik Ullah Chowdhury, set his body on fire to hide his identity. But from the documents and Bank ATM card found near the body, Chowdhury's family identified his body.

Deceased's son Saidur Rahman Faruk Chowdhury then filed the murder case with South Keraniganj Police Station.