Ekram murder: 39 get death

A Feni court has sentenced thirty-nine people to death in Fulgazi upazila chairman and Awami League leader Ekramul Haque’s murder case.

District and Sessions Judge’s Court judge Aminul Huq passed the order on Tuesday around 3.30pm.

The court also acquitted 16 people including prime accused Feni BNP leader Mahtab Uddin Chowdhury Minar in the case.

Earlier on February 13, the judge also cancelled the bails of all accused in the case.

Fourteen of the fifty-six accused were currently in jail, including Minar, twenty-three were out on bail and eighteen others were still on the run.

Another key accused was also killed during a gun battle with Rapid Action Battalion in Feni in July last year.

A total of 50 prosecution witnesses, including the plaintiff and case investigation officer, have testified during the trial.

Ekramul Haque, who was also the upazila Awami League president, was hacked, shot and burnt alive by miscreants inside his car in broad daylight in Feni town’s Academy area on May 20, 2014.

His brother Rezaul Haque Jasim later filed the murder case accusing BNP leader Minar and 30-35 unidentified people.

Police pressed charges against 56 people in August the same year. The court had indicted them in March 2016.