Court Correspondent :
The Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 of Dhaka yesterday sentenced seven people to death for killing and burning the body of valiant freedom fighter Atik Ullah Chowdhury and former Chairman of Konda Union under Keraniganj upazila of Dhaka, 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 five are on the run.
Judge Abu Jafar Md Kamruzzaman of tribunal pronounced the verdict in presence of the three convicts in the court. The tribunal acquitted Shampa as her involvement with the murder was not proved.
The punishment of the fugitives will be effective from the date of their arrest or surrender to the court, the judge said.
Earlier, the prosecution and defence completed their arguments and the court recorded depositions of 11 prosecution witnesses including complainant of the case.
The tribunal framed charges against eight accused on July 2, 2015.
According to the case documents, Atik 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 of 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, Atik Chowdhury’s family members identified his body.
The court on July 2, 2015, framed charges against eight accused including Shampa and the convicts.
Deceased’s son Saidur Rahman Faruk Chowdhury then filed the murder case with South Keraniganj Police Station.
