2013 Violence: 3 handed 10 years in jail

The cyber tribunal in Rajshahi yesterday sentenced three people to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for sharing a derogatory  image of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on Facebook that led to communal violence in Pabna's Ataikula in 2013. 

The convicted accused are Aminul Ehsan, Zahirul Islam and Khokon Uddin.

Khokon had hacked into the social media account of Rajib Saha, a class X student of Bangram Miapur High School, and posted a distorted image of the Prophet (PBUH) along with obscene comments using the computer of Islam, who ran a cyber cafe.

Ehsan, who ran a photocopy and stationery shop, then printed the image and distributed them among villagers.

As words spread that "Saha had maligned the Prophet (PBUH)", an angry mob vandalised at least 26 houses, including Saha's, and a temple of the Hindu community of Bangram village in Pabna on November 2, 2013.

The following day, Sub-Inspector Abdul Halim filed a case under 57 section of ICT Act 2006 with Ataikula Police Station in this connection. Later, an investigation officer submitted a charge sheet against 10 people.

Ehsan and Islam gave confessional statements in the case while 15 witnesses testified against them before the court.

The seven other accused were acquitted.

The judgment, which is a first-of-its-kind, comes in the backdrop of recent incidents of communal violence in the country, said Ismat Ara, public prosecutor of the court.

Ehsan and Islam were present in the courtroom when the verdict was announced by tribunal judge Ziaur Rahman. Khokon is a fugitive.

The judge also fined the three Tk 1 lakh each; failure to pay the fine would lead to three more months in prison.