Three PBCP men to die

A Chuadanga court yesterday sentenced three cadres of outlawed Purbo Bnaglar Communist Party (PBCP-ML) to death for killing four people at Jodupur village in Sadar upazila in the district in 1996.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Motaher Hossain delivered the verdict in presence of the convicts.
The court also fined them Tk 10,000 each, in default, to suffer one year more imprisonment.
The convicts with death are Sohag, 32, and Alam, 40, of Bahndadah in Kaliganj in Jhenidah and Alam of Bhabanipur under Sadar upazila in Chuadanga. All are top cadres of PBCP-ML. Of them, Sohag is still at large, while two others are in jail.
According to prosecution in brief, PBCP cadres demanded Tk 3 lakh from one Abdul Aziz of Jodupur village as toll. They shot dead four people at the house of Aziz on the night of June 27, 1996 as Aziz refused to pay them toll.
The victims are Anwarul, 30, of Jodupur in Sadar upazila in Chuadanga, Hamidul, 24, Safi 30 and Mahi 36 of housing area of Kushtia.
Abul Kasem, son of Abdul Aziz, filed a case with Chuadanga Sadar Police Station. They went to the house of Aziz for his protection after the threat of outlawed party cadres.
After investigation, police submitted charge sheet of the case on August 31 in 1997.