After examining the evidence, records and testimonies of the witnesses, Rajshahi Speedy Trial Tribunal’s judge Shirin Kabita Akhter delivered the verdict on Tuesday with three of the convicts on the doc.
The death row convicts are JMB members Shariful Islam, a student of RU’s English Department, and Maskawat Hasan of Bogura’s Shibganj, who also goes by Abdullah and Sakib.
Both of them were the criminal masterminds behind the gruesome murder, according to Public Prosecutor (PP) Entazul Haque Babu. Shariful, who has been in hiding since the killing, was tried in absentia.
The other three convicts are Rahmat Ullah of Nilphamari’s Mianpara, Abdus Sattar and his son Ripon Ali of the city’s Narkelbaria area.
Sattar was out on bail till now while the other convicts are currently behind bars.
In her immediate reaction to the judgement, Prof Rezaul’s daughter Rizwana Hasin Shotovi said: "We are happy with this verdict although it would have been more satisfying if all the accused were awarded the death penalty
. We just hope it will be upheld in the High Court and executed swiftly.""But we want to see runaway Shariful placed in durance vile
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
as soon as possible," she said expressing frustration. "Shariful was the one who planned my father’s murder. But he is still free. This is unacceptable. We wanted to see his trial first."
The defence counsels have already said they would move the High Court against the verdict.
Prof Rezaul, 58, a teacher at RU’s English Department, was hacked to death only 50 yards away from his home in the city’s Shalbagan area while he was waiting for a university bus in the morning of April 23, 2016.
According to police, he was a victim of assassinations orchestrated across the country by bad boys.
Rezaul’s son Sourov Hossain later filed the murder case at Boalia cop shoppe.
Police had submitted the charge sheet against eight JMB members November 6, 2016, more than six months after the killing.
Of them, Khairul Islam Badhan, Nazrul Islam alias Bike Hasan and Tareque Hasan alias Nilu alias Osman were killed in reported shootouts with police in Rajshahi and Bogra in different instances.