Five to die for killing farmer

A Habiganj court yesterday sentenced five people to death and 27 others to different jail terms for killing a farmer in Nabiganj upazila of the district in 2000.

Habiganj Additional District and Sessions Judge Mafruza Parvin pronounced the verdict yesterday.

Three of the accused died during the trial of the case.

Those who have been awarded death penalty are Anis Mia, Farash Mia, Jamshed Mia, Bazlu Mia and Nur Islam. They all hail from Bualjur village in the upazila.

According to the prosecution, an altercation took place when a cow owned by Anis damaged a paddy field of his neighbour Muktadir, a farmer of the village, on February 20, 2000.

At one stage, Anis and his close aides swooped on Muktadir with sharp weapons and stabbed him indiscriminately, leaving him dead on the spot around 1:00pm.

The following day, deceased's elder brother Mushaid Mia filed a case with Nabiganj Police Station accusing 40 people of the village, said advocate Trilok Kanti Chowdhury.

After investigation, police pressed charges against 35, including the convicts, on July 11, 2002.