20 Sarbahara Party men get life term

A Dhaka court yesterday sentenced 20 activists of Sarbahara Party, a banned militant outfit, to life imprisonment for killing a police officer in April 2005.

Judge Md Monir Kamal of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-3 of Dhaka delivered the verdict and fined each convict Tk 10,000 or additional three months in prison. The court also acquitted six of the accused.

Of those convicted, thirteen are on the run, while seven others are behind bars.

According to the case statement, on April 3, 2005, members of the Sarbahara gang, led by Abdul Aziz, killed the then Special Branch (SB) Sub-inspector Abul Hasnain Azam Khan and Head Assistant Kamrul Alam Thakur of Rajoir upazila in Madaripur, and cut their bodies into pieces, which were then dumped in the Kumar river.

A couple of days later, a case was filed with Rajoir Police Station by Abul Khayer Mia, the then SB inspector of the district.