Subarnachar rape: Ten to die, six to be jailed for life
Staff Reporter :
A Noakhali court pronounced its verdict on Monday, handing down death sentences to 10 individuals and life imprisonment to six others in connection with the notorious rape that occurred in Noakhali’s Subarnachar on the night of the 11th parliamentary elections in December 2018.
Judge Fatema Ferdous of Noakhali Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-2 delivered the judgment, along with a fine of Tk 50,000 imposed on each convict.
Failure to pay the fine would result in an additional two years of imprisonment, informed Assistant Public Prosecutor Saleh Ahmed Sohel Khan during a press briefing at the Noakhali district court premises.
The court heard testimonies from a total of 23 prosecution witnesses to establish the case.
The individuals sentenced to death are Md Ruhul Amin, Md Hasan Ali, Md Sohel, Swapan, Ibrahim Khalil, Abul Hossain, Md Salauddin, Md Jasim Uddin, Md Murad, and Md Jamal.
Those serving life terms are Md Hanif, Md Chowdhury, Md Basha Alam, Mosharraf, and Md Mintu. Among them, Helal was tried in absentia.
Lawyer Saleh Ahmed, representing the state, informed reporters that the prosecution presented 23 witnesses during the trial. Of the 16 accused, 15 are currently in custody, while Md Mintu alias Helal, 28, has been evading arrest since the incident.
The charges were filed against 16 individuals, and 15 were arrested, with eight of them confessing to their crimes, Saleh Ahmed added.
The victim, a mother of four, was assaulted on December 31 in Charjubli village by a group of 10 to 12 men allegedly following orders from Ruhul Amin, the former member of Charjubli union parishad and the then organizing secretary of the union unit of the ruling Awami League.
The heinous incident sparked widespread condemnation both domestically and internationally.
The victim’s husband filed a case with the Char Jabbar police station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act on December 31, 2018.
The Detective Branch (DB) Police submitted a chargesheet against 16 individuals, including the expelled publicity secretary of Subarnachar upazila unit Awami League, Ruhul Amin, on March 27, 2019.”
