Rajon murder verdict Nov 8

A Sylhet court set November 8 to deliver its verdict in the 13-year-old Rajon killing case after the completion of the trial procedure yesterday in just over a month.

On September 22, it indicted 13 people on charges of beating the teenager to death. His crime was, according to the accused, stealing a rickshaw van.

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The Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court fixed the date to deliver the verdict after hearing testimonies of 36 prosecution witnesses, public prosecutor Mafur Ali confirmed.

Rajon's father Azizur Islam burst out crying in response at the court. He said the claim of the defence that his son had stolen a van was false and that none of the accused owned a van.

The investigation officer of the case Suranjit Talukdar from the Detective Branch on August 16 submitted the charge sheet to the court accusing 13 and identifying 38 others as witnesses.

The charge sheeted accused are Kamrul Islam, 24, a Saudi expatriate; his brother Muhit Alam, 32, Shamim Alam, 20, Pavel Islam, 18, Ali Haider alias Ali, 34, Moyna Mia, 45, Nur Ahmed alias Nuru Mia, 20, Dulal Ahmed, 30, Ayaz Ali, 45, Taz Uddin Badal, 28, Firoz Mia, 50, Asmat Ali, 42, and Ruhul Amin, 25.

Among them, Pavel and Taz are on the run. The 11 other had been cross-examined and were present in court yesterday.

On July 8, Sheikh Md Samiul Alam Rajon was beaten to death by Kamrul and other brutes in Kumargaon Bus Stand area of Sylhet sadar upazila. One of the culprits filmed the whole incident on a mobile phone and shared it on the social media, provoking outcries at home and abroad.

The prime accused Kamrul fled to Saudi Arabia soon after the incident. Detained by Saudi police, he was brought back home on October 16.