Six militants to die in Julhas, Tonoy murder trial

A special tribunal here today sentenced six militants to death in a case lodged over the murder of former USAID official Julhas Mannan and his friend and theatre artist Mahbub Tonoy in 2016

The six convicts are sacked army major Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haq, Akram Hossain, Mozammel Hossain alias Saimon, Arafat Rahman, Sheikh Abdullah and Asadullah and all of them are members of banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT).

The tribunal also fined them Taka 50,000 each and they will have to suffer six-month imprisonment in default.

Dhaka Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal, however, acquitted Sabbirul Haq Chowdhury and Mawlana Junayed Ahmed of the charges as the allegations brought against the duo have not been proved.

Judge Mojibur Rahman of the tribunal pronounced the judgement amid heightened security in and around the courtroom.

Additional forces of law enforcing agencies were deployed in the court area marking the pronouncement of the judgement.

Earlier, the four arrested accused were brought to the court from Kashimpur High Security Prison around 9 am and were kept at court lockup with extra security. They were brought to the courtroom around 11.27 am.

The tribunal on August 23 had set the date as both the prosecution and defence concluded their arguments in the case on that day.

Unidentified miscreants hacked Julhas and Tonoy to death at Julhas's Lake Circus Road house in Kalabagan Police Station on April 25, 2016.

 Julhas's elder brother Minhaj Mannan later filed the murder case with Kalabagan Police Station and sub-inspector Md Shamim of that station filed an arms case over that incident.

Investigation officer (IO) and Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes (CTTC) Unit Inspector Muhammad Monirul Islam on May 12, 2019, filed charge- sheet in the murder case against eight militants of ABT.

The accused are- sacked army major Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haq, Akram Hossain, Sabbirul Haq Chowdhury, Mawlana Junayed Ahmed, Mozammel Hossain alias Saimon, Arafat Rahman, Sheikh Abdullah and Asadullah.

The tribunal on November 19, 2020, framed charges against the accused, initiating the trial officially.

Of the eight accused, Mozammel Hossain alias Saimon, Arafat Rahman, Sheikh Abdullah and Asadullah are behind the bars and were present at the court during pronouncement of the judgement.

The rest are yet to be arrested and were tried in absentia.

The four arrested accused had confessed their crimes as they gave confessional statements before the court.

A total of 24 witnesses have testified in the case.