A Feni court yesterday sentenced 39 activists of Awami League, Jubo League, and Chhatra League to death for killing Phulgazi upazila chairman Ekramul Haque on May 20, 2014.

Feni District and Sessions Judge Aminul Haque delivered the verdict that acquitted 16 other accused.

Of the convicted accused, 17 are on the run.

The court also fined each of the convicted accused Tk 50,000. 

Ekram, who was also the president of Phulgazi upazila unit AL, was shot and then burnt alive in his car in broad daylight in Academy Road area in Feni town.

Four of his associates, including a local journalist, were also injured.

The 39 convicted accused include Jahangir Kabir Adel, former joint general secretary of Feni district unit AL, Zahid Hossain alias Zihad, former joint general secretary of Phulgazi upazila unit AL, Abdullahil Mahmud alias Shiblu, former president of ward-5 of Feni municipality unit AL, Abidul Islam Abid, son of Feni district unit Mohila AL president, and Mohammad Humayun. 

Mahtab Uddin Chowdhury alias Minar, president of Feni district unit Tanti Dal, Ziaul Alam alias Mister, former joint convener of Feni municipality unit Jubo League, and Abdur Rahman, former president of Kazirbagh union unit AL in Feni Sadar, are among the acquitted.

Those who are in jail in the murder case were brought to the court under tight security.

The judge read out summary of the 173-page judgment.

Public Prosecutor Hafez Ahmed said the state side was satisfied with the judgment.

In the observation of the verdict, the judge described the murder of Ekram as horrible and said such incident should not happen again, Hafez said.

The judgment said it had been proved through testimonies and evidence that convicted accused Zahid, Jahangir, Abdullahil and Humayun were the mastermind behind Ekram murder.

Ahsan Kabir, lawyer for Abdullahil and Jahangir, said they were dissatisfied with the verdict and would appeal to the higher court.

Contacted over phone, Ekram's elder brother Rezaul Haque, also plaintiff of the case, said they were happy with the verdict. They hoped that the higher court would uphold the punishments. 

Rezaul filed the case with Feni Sadar Police Station, accusing Mahtab Uddin and 30 to 35 other unknown people.

Inspector of Feni Detective Branch of police Abul Kalam Azad, investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the court on April 11, 2015. Before that, the court refused charge sheets twice.  

In the charge sheet, it was mentioned that Ekram was murdered over rivalry centring upazila parishad election and other issues. 

The trial of the case started through framing of charges against 56 accused on March 15, 2016.

One of the accused, Mohammad Sohel, was killed in a “gunfight” with Rab last year. 

Hearing of the case was concluded on February 13. Feni district and sessions judge on that day fixed yesterday for delivering the verdict.