A court has handed down the capital punishment to a Hanif Paribahan bus driver, his helper and supervisor over the death of North South University Syedur Rahman Payel in 2018.
Dhaka’s Speedy Tribunal-1 Judge Abu Zafar Md Kamruzzaman delivered the verdict in the highly-publicised case on Sunday.
The convicts are bus driver Jamal Hossain, his helper Faisal Hossain and supervisor ‘Jony’. They were all in court when the sentence was passed.
In his immediate reaction, Payel’s uncle Golam Sorowardy Biplob, who started the case, expressed satisfaction with the judgment.
Meanwhile, Abul Kalam Azad, a lawyer for the accused, said that they will appeal against the verdict.
Payel went missing on Jul 21, 2018, after boarding a Dhaka-bound Hanif Paribahan from Chattogram with two of his friends, Akibur Rahman Ador and ‘Mohiuddin’.
Gajaria Police found the body of Payel beneath the Bhaterchor Bridge in Munshiganj two days later. Subsequently, the supervisor of the bus, Jony, was arrested in Dhaka’s Motijheel, while driver Jamal and his assistant Faisal were detained from Arambagh.
Referring to the suspects’ statements, police said Payel got off in Gajaria to urinate while the vehicle was stuck in traffic.
But when the traffic cleared, the bus began to move and as Payel rushed to catch up with it, he was knocked unconscious after being struck by the vehicle’s door.
He began bleeding from the nose and mouth but instead of taking him to the hospital, the driver and supervisor pitched his body into the canal underneath the Bhaterchor Bridge in an attempt to avoid any responsibility for his health.
Payel’s family, however, claimed that the bus driver had disfigured his body in an attempt to hide his identity before throwing him in the canal.
Payel’s father Golam Maula and older brother Golam Mostofa live abroad. Payel had gone to Chattogram to visit his family after the birth of his nephew.
After his death, Payel’s uncle Golam Sorowardy Biplob initiated a case against the three suspects at the Gajaria Police Station.
Gajaria Police later submitted the charge-sheet against the three suspects on Oct 3, 2018.
Source: bdnews24.com
