Nine get life term for killing journo

Gautam Das

A Dhaka court yesterday sentenced nine people to life term imprisonment for killing a journalist in Faridpur eight years ago.
Gautam Das, 30, Faridpur bureau chief of the daily Samakal, was brutally killed at his office on November 17, 2005.
According to the case statement, Gautam was killed as he ran a series of news reports in daily Samakal against the accused.
The reports were based on their alleged involvement with corruption and irregularities in repairing Mujib Sarak of Faridpur district.
The convicts are Asif Imran, Asif Imtiaz Bulu, Zahid Khan, Kamrul Islam Apon, Asad Bin Kadir, Siddiqur Rahman Miah, Tamjid Hossain Babu, Rajib Hassan Miah and Abu Taher Mohammad Mortuza Ahsan, also known as Apollo Biswas.
All of them were involved with different organisations of BNP, said a public prosecutor.
Of the convicts, Apollo went into hiding after the court on June 19 had fixed yesterday for delivering judgment in the case.
The punishment of Apollo will be effective from the day of his arrest or surrender, the court said.
Judge Shahed Noor Uddin of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 also fined them Tk 50,000 each, in default they are to suffer one more year in jail.
The judge in his judgment yesterday said though the killing was so heinous, the court did not get any evidence against the accused who strangled the victim.
So, the court had decided to award life term imprisonment instead of death penalty, the judge added.
After the verdict, daily Samakal Editor Golam Sarwar told journalists the court should have given capital punishment to the accused, taking into account the gravity of the offence.
But the court had awarded life term imprisonment, he said, adding "We will challenge the judgment in the higher court."
Earlier, the prosecution and the defence had completed their arguments, and the court recorded statements of 27 prosecution witnesses.
The case was stayed for a long time following a High Court order. The court framed charges against the accused on August 15, 2006.
The investigation officer of the case pressed charges on January 19, 2006, showing 31 people as prosecution witnesses.