Court Correspondent :
The High Court Division of the Supreme Court yesterday upheld the death penalties awarded to four convicts in the case lodged in connection with the killing of 13-year-old Sheikh Md Samiul Alam Rajon of Sylhet.
The apex court also upheld various prison terms of five other convicts, but commuted the life-term imprisonment for one to six months in the prison. The High Court upheld the seven-year jail terms of convicts- Muhith, Ali Haidar and Shamim Ahmed. Besides, the court upheld one-year imprisonment of two other convicts- Dulal and Ayaz. The court commuted the life-term imprisonment of Nur Ahmed to six-months in the prison.
The High Court Bench of Justice Zahangir Hossain Selim and Justice Md Zahangir Hossain pronounced the verdict in the sensational child murder case after hearing on the death reference and appeals filed by the convicts. On July 8, 2015, Samiul Alam Rajon was beaten to death by a group of brutes in Kumargaon Bus Stand area of Sylhet for allegedly trying to steal a rickshaw van.
A 28-minute video footage of the gruesome incident in social media, shows prime convict Quamrul Islam hitting the child with a stick on his feet, joints of legs, shoulder and head; created firestorm in the society. Within two days of the murder, prime suspect Quamrul Islam fled to Saudi Arabia. Later, he was extradited to Bangladesh after investigation into the video. On November 8, 2015, a Speedy Trial Tribunal of Sylhet sentenced four persons including Quamrul Islam to death for killing Rajon, while another convict Nur Ahmed was sentenced to life in prison. Five others were awarded various terms of imprisonments and fines. However, three others were acquitted as the charges were not proved against them.
