Jihad's death: 4 get 10 years in jail

Staff Correspondent: A Dhaka court has sentenced four people to 10 years imprisonment in a case filed over the death of three-year-old Jihad, who died after falling into a deep well in Dhaka’s Shahjahanpur area in 2014.

The court also fined Tk. 2000 to each, in default; they have to serve 2 years more in jail.

Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman of the Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-5 handed down the verdict on Sunday.

The convicts are Abdus Salam alias Shafiqul Islam, proprietor of SR House, Jahangir Alom, senior sub-eng of Bangladesh railways, Jafor Ahmed, and Nasiruddin, assistant engineers.

The court also acquitted two persons as charges brought against them were not proved.

The acquittals are assistant railway assistant engineer (electricity) Deepak Kumar Bhoumik and assistant engineer-2 Md Saiful Islam.

Earlier, the same court framed charges in the case against the six people on October 4, 2016.

On December 26, 2014, Jihad died after falling into a 17-inch diameter abandoned shaft, near his house at Bangladesh Railway Colony in Shahjahanpur area while playing with friends.

His body was pulled out by a band of indomitable volunteers the following day, around 15 minutes after the fire service called off a near 23-hour search.

On April 17 of 2015, Shahjahanpur Police Sub-inspector Abu Zafar pressed charges against Jahangir and Salam over the death.

But on June 4, victim's father filed a no-confidence (Naraji) petition against the investigation into the incident.

Later, the court ordered further investigation. As per the order, detectives on May 31 again pressed charges this time against the six.

risingbd/Dhaka/Feb 26, 2017/Mamun Khan/A K Azad