Eight get life for killing auto-rickshaw driver

A Sylhet court yesterday sentenced eight people to life term imprisonment in a case for killing an auto-rickshaw driver in Dakkhin Surma upazila in 2003.
The lifers are Tarek Ahmed, Hanif Ahmed and Saber Ahmed, sons of Rahim Uddin alias Rosu pir of Kushighat Palpur village under Moglabazar Police Station; Nowab Miah alias Akhtar, his son Abid Hossain Opu, and Akmal Hossain of the same village; Ruhel Ahmed of Tukerbazar chorugaon village under Sylhet Sadar upazila, and Alauddin of Uttar maijbhag village under Golapganj upazila.
Judge Md Akbar Hossain Mridha of the Metropolitan Sessions Court fined the convicts Tk 500 each, in default they are to suffer another month in jail. Of them, six are now in jail while Abid Hossain, Ruhel and Alauddin are still at large.
According to the prosecution, Rahim uddin alias Rosu pir, implicated auto-rickshaw driver Mansur Alam of the same village in a false case as he and family members protested pir's evil activities in the area.
Rahim Uddin withdrew the case under pressure from locals, but his followers beat up Mansur and hit him with sharp weapons near his house on November 11, 2003.
Critically injured Mansur was rushed to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital where the doctors declared him dead.
The deceased's uncle Abdul Haque filed a case with the local police station the same day, accusing 10 named and five unnamed people of the village. Investigation Officer (IO) Shafiqur Rahman Mukul pressed charges against nine of the accused.
The court framed charges against eight on February 13, 2007. Statements of 13 prosecution witnesses were recorded by the court during trial of the case.