Eight militants of banned Islamist outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were sentenced to life imprisonment in separate cases in Thakurgaon and Rajshahi yesterday. Of them, six were awarded life imprisonment in the August 27 bombing case in Thakurgaon town, while the remaining two in an arms case in Rajshahi. Those who have been put into jail by Additional District and Sessions Judge's Court in Thakurgaon are Abdul Latif, son of Nazrul Islam, A Razzak, son of Mujibar Rahman, and Abdur Razzak, son of Asir Uddin of Sadar upazila; Hefzur Rahman, son of Hazrat Ali of Baliadangi upazila in Thakurgaon, Rashidul Islam alias Asadullah alias Asad, son of Abdun Nur of Debiganj, and Shafiqul Islam, son of A Samad of Sadar upazila in Panchagarh. The court also fined them Tk 10,000 each, in default, they are to suffer another year in jail, according to the UNB. Of the six convicts, Rashidul Islam and Shafiqul Islam have been absconding since the bombings in the district town.
According to the prosecution, the JMB militants exploded six bombs at five points in the town as part of serial bombings across the country on August 17 last year. After the incident, police arrested 38 people, including the six JMB militants, at different places of the district. The arrested JMB activists confessed to the police that they were involved in the bombings. Police later pressed charges against the JMB men.