4 sentenced to death for killing Humayun Azad

PBC News:  A Dhaka court on Wednesday sentenced four members of banned Jama’atul Mujaheedin Bangladesh (JMB) to death in a case filed over the murder of writer, linguist and Dhaka University teacher Prof Humayun Azad.

Dhaka’s Fourth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Al Mamun pronounced the verdict.

The condemned convicts are Mizanur Rahman alias Minhaz, Anwarul Alam alias Anwar, Salehin alias Salahuddin and Nur Mohammad. They were fined Tk 50,000 each.

Among them, Salehin and Nur are on the run while two others are in jail.

According to the case statement, Prof Humayun Azad sustained severe injuries when criminals hacked him with sharp knives on the opposite to Bangla Academy while he going back to his house after attending the Amar Ekushey Book Fair in the evening on February 27, 2004.

Following the attack, he underwent treatment at Combined Military Hospital, Dhaka for 22 days and in Bangkok for 48 days. He died of a cardiac arrest at Munich in Germany on August 12 of the same year.

Soon after the murder attempt, his younger brother Manzur Kabir filed a case at Ramna police station accusing unidentified persons. It was later turned into a murder case.

Besides, another case was filed under the Explosive Substance Act.

Three years after the murder attempt, CID Inspector Kazi Abdul Malek pressed charges against five people on November 11, 2007.

On October 20, 2009, a Dhaka court ordered further investigation into the case following a petition filed by the DU teacher’s brother Manzur Kabir.

Following a reinvestigation, the CID submitted a fresh chargesheet accusing five JMB leaders and appealed to the court to turn the case into a murder case on April 30, 2012.

On September 10, 2012, the court indicted JMB Shura member Mizanur Rahman alias Minhaz alias Shaon, Anwar Alam alias Anwar Hossain, Nur Mohammad Sabu alias Sabu, Salauddin alias Salehin and Hafiz Mahmud in the case.

Two of the accused—Minhaz and Anwar Alam—gave confessional statements before magistrates admitting their involvement in the incident under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.