2 get death, 3 get life for killing RU teacher

A court in Rajshahi has given death penalty for two people and life term imprisonment for three others in a case filed for killing Rajshahi University teacher Prof AFM Rezaul Karim Siddikey.

Judge of Rajshahi Speedy Trial Tribunal Shirin Kabita Akhter on Tuesday passed the order.

Special Public Prosecutor of the court Entazul Haque Babu confirmed the information.

The death row convicts are Masskawat Hassan alias Abdullah alias Sakib of Shibgonj in Bagura and Shariful Islam, a student of Department of English of Rajshahi University.

The life term awardees are Rahmat Ullah of Mianpara in Nilphamari, Abdus Sattar and his son Ripon Ali of Rajshahi city.

Prof Rezaul Siddikey was stabbed to death when he was walking to catch a university bus at Shalbagan in Rajshahi city on April 23, 2016.

According to local police sources, he was a victim of targeted killings orchestrated across the country by militants.

Advocate Babu said detectives submitted a charge sheet against eight militants of banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in November, 2016.

Among them, Khairul Islam Payal alias Badhan was killed during the raid on Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, and two others - Nazrul Islam alias Bike Hasan and Tareque Hasan Milu alias Osman, were killed in "crossfire" in Rajshahi and Bogra respectively.