HC confirms death penalty of five

The High Court yesterday confirmed the death sentence of five people, including listed criminal Md Shahdat Hossain, for killing an Awami League man on August 15, 2006.

Hazi Moniruddin Monu, member of AL’s ward no-12 unit, was gunned down by eight extortionists in the capital’s Mirpur after a programme, marking Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's death anniversary, as he had refused to pay Tk 1 crore in extortion.

The other four death-row convicts are: Md Mintu, Masudur Rahman Tota, Liton Hossain Lotus, and Noman Ibne Bashar.

Hearing separate death references and appeals, the HC bench of Justice Bhabani Prasad Singha and Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam confirmed the death sentence as they were directly involved in shooting Monu to death.

It also commuted the death penalty of Mahinur Rahman Sohel and Md Hasan Sarwar to life imprisonment as they were not directly involved in shooting but supplied arms to the convicts, Deputy Attorney General Bashir Ahmed told The Daily Star.

It upheld the life imprisonment of another convict Mosammat Jahanara who abetted the killing.

Shahdat, Mintu, Masudur and Jahanara are now absconding while Mahinur, Noman, Liton and Sarwar are in jail.

A Dhaka court on March 30, 2015 sentenced seven people, including Shahdat, an accused in over 20 criminal cases, to death and jailed Jahanra for life.