After eight years of legal proceedings, the Bogura District and Sessions Judge’s Court has handed down death sentences to three accused and life imprisonment to three others in connection with the murder of union parishad chairman candidate Tozammel Haque.
Judge Shahjahan Kabir delivered the verdict on Tuesday, bringing closure to a case that had gripped the local community since 2017.
Those sentenced to death are Babul Prang alias Abul Kalam Azad, Manik, and Moniruzzaman alias Mishu. The three sentenced to life imprisonment are Pintu alias Majedur Rahman, Delwar Hossain, and Ashik. Each convict has also been fined Tk 1 lakh, according to the verdict.
Public Prosecutor Abdul Bashed said the murder occurred on November 27, 2017, when businessman and UP chairman candidate Tozammel Haque was returning home by motorcycle with his cousins Nayon and Asad after attending a family wedding in Boitabhanga village.
As they reached Dakshinpara, a group of armed assailants intercepted them and hacked Tozammel and Nayon with sharp weapons. Locals rushed the injured to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital, but Tozammel succumbed to his injuries on the way.
The prosecutor confirmed that the three accused named in the charge sheet received death sentences, while three others were sentenced to life imprisonment. Of the six convicts, only Pintu was present in court during the verdict announcement; the others remain fugitives.
Family members of the slain chairman candidate expressed satisfaction with the verdict but called for the immediate arrest of the absconding convicts.
They said they had waited eight long years for justice and urged the authorities to ensure that the punishment is fully implemented.
