Court upholds death for League activists

The High Court (HC) yesterday upheld the death penalty for two convicts while commuting the death sentence of four convicts to life imprisonment and acquitting two death-row convicts in the Biswajit murder case.An HC bench of Justice Md Ruhul Quddus and Justice Bhishmadev Chakraborty passed the order following an appeal filed by the eight convicts.Among the convicts, the court upheld the death penalty of Rafiqul Islam Shakil and Rajon Talukdar while commuted the death penalty Mahfuzur Rahman Nahid, Emdadul Haq Emdad, GM Rasheduzzaman Shaon and Mir Nure Alam Limon to life-term imprisonment.The two death-row convicts-Kaiyim and Saiful Islam – and two lifers – Golam Mostafa and HM Kibria – were acquitted.However, the court did not say anything about 11 fugitive convicts who got life-terms in the case. On July 17 last, an HC bench fixed August 6 for delivering the verdict after concluding hearing arguments on the case.The high court started hearing the death reference and appeals in the murder case on May 16 this year. On December 18, 2013, a tribunal condemned eight activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) to death and 13 others to life term imprisonment in the Biswajit Das killing case.Judge ABM Nizamul Haque of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-4 pronounced the verdict against all 21 accused in the case.All the convicts were activists of Jagannath University unit of BCL, the student wing of the ruling Awami League. The tribunal also fined the 13 lifers 20,000 taka each, in default, to suffer one year more rigorous imprisonment.Besides, as per the Bangladesh Penal Code-143, the tribunal awarded the lifers six months imprisonment and fined them taka 500 each, in default, to suffer 15 days more in jail.On December 9, 2012, tailoring shop employee Biswajit Das was beaten to death by some Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists near Bahadur Shah Park in Old Dhaka during the opposition’s countrywide road blockade programme.Metropolitan Magistrate Zahurul Haque framed charges against the 21 activists of Jagannath University unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), associate body of the ruling party Awami League on June 2, 2013.On March 5, Tajul Islam, Detective Branch inspector and investigation officer of the case, submitted a charge sheet against the 21 accused.