A court in Gaibandha has sentenced seven people to death over the murder of ruling party lawmaker Monjurul Islam Liton, shot dead in his own home three years ago.

Gaibandha District and Sessions Judge Dilip Kumar Bhoumik delivered the verdict on Thursday (Nov 28) with six of the eight suspects in the docks.

The convicts are: former Jatiya Party lawmaker Col (retd) Abdul Kader, his personal assistant Shamsuzzaman, his driver Hannan, nephew Mehedi, Shahin and Rana Mia and Chandan Kumar.

One accused – Subal Chandra, a butcher - died in jail while Chandan is reportedly hiding in India.

Defence counsel Md Abdul Hamid said that Kader Khan has been framed and they will move the top court challenging the verdict.

On Nov 19 Gaibandha District and Session court fixed Nov 28 to deliver the verdict after concluding trial.

On Jun 11, the same court sentenced Kader to life imprisonment in an arms case filed in connection to Liton's killing.

On Dec 31, 2016, the ruling Awami League lawmaker Liton was shot at his home by unidentified assailants in the district's Sundarganj Upazila.

He later succumbed to his injuries at Rangpur Medical College Hospital.

Following the killing, Liton's elder sister Fahmida Kakuli Bulbul filed a case against five-six unnamed people with Sundarganj police.

Two months after the murder, police arrested Kader, a lawmaker from the constituency, from his Bogra home on Feb 21, 2017, in connection to the killing.

The police also raided Kader's home in the district's Sundarganj Upazila and recovered a pistol, a magazine, and six bullets.

On Apr 30, 2017, police pressed charges against eight people including Kader for the murder.

The trial in the case opened on Apr 30, 2018, with the court recording statement of as many as 50 witnesses in the murder.