Parents of slain BUET Student Abrar Fahad and the prosecution in the murder case expressed their satisfaction over the verdict while the defense lawyers and the parents of convicts expressed their dissatisfaction over the verdict.
Abrar, a second-year student of the Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) Department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), was beaten to death, at Sher-e-Bangla Hall of BUET on 7 October in 2019.
Judge Abu Zafar Md Kamaruzzaman of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 announced the verdict in the sensational killing Wednesday (8 December).
Immediate after the court verdict on Wednesday, Chief Public Prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain Kajol said, "This incident has traumatised people of Bangladesh. The tribunal awarded the highest punishment to the accused to prevent any recurrence of such brutality."
"We are satisfied with the verdict," Kajol said while talking to reporters on the court premises after the verdict was delivered.
The public prosecutor said they managed to produce 46 witnesses before the court during the court proceeding, he added.
Besides, slain Abrar’s mother Rokeya Khatun said that she expected all accused in her son's murder case to be sentenced to death.
"I am satisfied with the verdict, but I wanted death penalty for all the 25 accused. I'm saying this with due respect to the court," she said while talking to reporters in Kushtia after the court sentenced 20 to death penalty and five to life in prison.
Referring to accused Amit Saha, one of the convicts, she said, "He was involved in the entire incident, I want death penalty for him."
Abrar’s father Barkatullah also said that he was primarily satisfied with the court's verdict.
"We will finally get justice when this verdict is carried out -- after being upheld by the High Court," he said, adding that only then he will be fully satisfied.
He also demanded the verdict be implemented at the soonest.
"They have been given exemplary punishment and it should be upheld in the High Court. Then the soul of Abrar will be in peace," he said in a choked voice.
"No other boy in this country should have my son's fate," he also said.
Meanwhile, the defence lawyer and parents of all the convicts expressed dissatisfaction over the verdict and claimed that the judgement was not appropriate.
Defence lawyer Faruk Ahmed said, "We think the judgment was not appropriate. We will appeal to the High Court, challenging the verdict."
Devi Rani Saha, the mother of Amit Saha, one of the convicts sentenced to life imprisonment, said, "My son was not (at hall) at the time of the incident. He had gone to Netrokona."
She also said Amit was arrested under pressure from the media.
"I expected that he would be acquitted," she added.
Rabiul Islam, the father of another convict sentenced to life imprisonment Morshed Omorto Islam, said he did not expect the verdict.
"Capital punishments and life imprisonments were given en masse. We are shocked. I was not prepared for such a verdict," he said.
He also remarked that none of the convicts are professional criminals as the murder took place "accidentally".
"We will go to the high court," Rabiul Islam added.
Parents of the punished convicts, all Buet students, expressed their comments to the media following the verdict.