A court in Rajshahi has awarded the death penalty to two people and sentenced three others for life in the 2016 assassination of university teacher AFM Rezaul Karim Siddiquee.
The speedy trial tribunal announced the verdict on Tuesday, more than two years after the Rajshahi University English professor was killed some 50 yards away from his home in the city.
Convicts, Maskawat Hossain of Bogura and Shariful Islam, a student of Prof Siddiquee’s department, have been sentenced to death.
The three jailed for life are Rahmat Ullah of Nilphamari, Abdus Sattar of Rajshahi and Sattar’ son Ripon Ali.
Islam, who was found to be mastermind of the killing, has been tried as a fugitive to justice.
Prof Siddiquee’s family said they were satisfied with the verdict.
“We hope the higher court will uphold the verdict and it will be executed soon. Fugitive convict Shariful needs to be arrested,” daughter Rizwana Hassin Shatavi told the media outside the courtroom.
All of the convicts belong to banned militant outfit the Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), according to investigators.
“Professor Rezaul preached for communal harmony. Apart from teaching, he was also involved in cultural activities. He was known to be a free-thinker in the Rajshahi University,” said Public Prosecutor Entazul Haque.
“The assassination was planned in Rahshahi. Death row convicts Maskawat and Shariful were the mastermind,” he added.
On the morning of Apr 23, 2016, Prof Siddiquee was hacked to death, only 50 yards from his residence in the city’s Shalbagan while he was on his way to the university.
The murder followed the familiar pattern witnessed in the killings of teachers, bloggers and online activists as well as foreigners — a use of sharp weapons to target the head or neck.
He was a man of peace, literature and culture to his students and colleagues.
The 58-year old professor, who wrote in literary publications and was associated with many cultural groups, had also played the sitar.
Siddique’s son Reasat Imtiaz Sourav started a murder case with the police the same day.
In November last year, investigators pressed charges against eight people — all activists of the JMB.
Three of them were killed in what the police said during a shootout.
The mastermind Shariful, a student of Prof Siddiquee’s department, has been tried as a fugitive to justice while convicts Makawat, Rahmat and Ripon are behind bars.
Convict Sattar was out on bail until Tuesday, when the court ordered life in prison for him.