Rajon murder: Verdict on death reference, appeals today

Staff Correspondent: The High Court (HC) will declare verdict today on death reference and appeals of death row convicts in a sensational case filed over killing 13-year-old boy Sheikh Md Samiul Alam Rajon in Sylhet.

The HC bench of Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim and Justice Md Zahangir Hossain will pronounce the verdict around 11:00am on Tuesday.

Earlier on March 12, the court set today (April 11) for pronouncing the verdict after concluding hearing arguments from the counsels on the death reference and appeals.

Deputy Attorney General Zahirul Haque Zahir and Assistant Attorney General Atiqul Haque Selim represented the State in the court during the hearing.

The death reference and appeals of the Rajon murder case began on January 30 which reached the High Court on November 10. Later, paper book was prepared on the basis of priority following the order of the chief justice.

The court on November 8, 2015 sentenced four people including prime accused Quamrul Islam to death for beating Rajon to death.

On July 8, 2015, Rajon was beaten to death by a group of brutes in Kumargaon Bus Stand area of Sylhet Sadar allegedly for trying to steal a rickshaw van.

Tied to a pole, he screamed for help, cried for water and begged for his life. But they laughed and jeered at him till the boy went silent, forever. One of them even filmed the horrendous incident and shared it on Facebook.

The 28-minute video footage went viral and shows Quamrul, in a black T-shirt and lungi, hitting the boy with a stick in the feet, joints of legs, shoulders and in the head.

The appalling torture video shook the nation to its core and stirred outcries in the social network and the mainstream media.

risingbd/DHAKA/Apr 11, 2017/Mehedi/Amirul