A Rangpur court has sentenced seven militants, including neo-JMB regional commander Masud Rana, to death for the 2015 murder of Kawnia shrine caretaker Rahmat Ali.
But neo-JMB leader Jahangir Alam aka Rajeeb Gandhi and five others have been acquitted.
The verdict was announced by Rangpur Special Judge Naresh Chandra Sarkar on Sunday.
The seven sentenced to death are JMB regional commander Masud Rana aka Mamun aka Mantri, 33, JMB members Isahaq Ali, 34, Liton Mia aka Rafiq, 32, Sakhawat Hossain aka Rahul, 30, Sarwar Hossain Sabu aka Mizan, Bijoy aka Ali aka Darji, 30, and the absconding Chandu Mia, 20.
Jahangir Hossain aka Rajeeb Gandhi, 26, Ratan Mia, 23, Towfiqul Islam Shobuj, 35, Abu Sayeed, 30, Babul Akhtar aka Babul Master, 35, and the absconding Rajibul Islam Molla aka Badol aka Badhan, 25, were acquitted.
A Rangpur court had previously sentenced Masud Rana, Isahaq, Liton Mia and Sakhawat to death over the murder of Japanese national Kunio Hoshi last year.
Militants hacked Rahmat Ali, 60, the caretaker of the shrine at Choitar intersection in Kawnia Upazila’s Modhupur, and slit his throat on his way home on Nov 10, 2015.
Police filed charges against 15 people in the case. The court indicted the suspects on Aug 16 last year.
Suspects and JMB members Nazrul Islam aka Bike Nazrul aka Bike Hassan, 26, and Saddam Hossain aka Rahul, 21, were killed in a shootout on Jan 5, 2016 in the Beribadh area of Dhaka’s Mohammadpur.
State lawyer Rathish Chandra Bhowmik said the victim, Rahmat Ali, was a Sufi devotee. He was the caretaker of the shrine of his father Abdus Sattar, near his home. He was also involved with the shrine of another Pir named Iman Ali Sureswari in Keraniganj.
“He always organised an event at the shrine on Nov 21 each year to commemorate his father’s death,” Bhowmik said. “The militants threatened him to stop the ritual, but he continued with preparations regardless. He was hacked to death 11 days prior to the event.”