Three Sentenced to Death for Khulna Grocer’s Murder

A court in Khulna has sentenced three people to death for the murder of grocery shopkeeper Rezaul Sheikh, who was killed following a dispute over ancestral property in Batiaghata upazila.

The verdict was delivered on Monday, 27 July, by Md Khurshid Alam, judge of the Khulna Additional District and Sessions Judge-4 Court. One other accused was acquitted after the court found that the allegations against him had not been proved.

The three convicts are Khurshid Alam, Salam and Khairul. They were present in court when the verdict was announced.

According to Md Shah Alam, a bench assistant at the court, the incident took place at around 8am on 31 March 2018 at a market in Jhalbari village of Batiaghata upazila.

Rezaul, a grocery shopkeeper, was allegedly attacked following a dispute over the construction of a shop on ancestral property. The accused reportedly assaulted him with bamboo sticks and wooden clubs, leaving him critically injured.

He was subsequently taken to Khulna Medical College Hospital for treatment. However, his condition deteriorated and he later died at the hospital.

Following the incident, Rezaul’s younger brother Mejbah Uddin filed a murder case at the police station on the evening of the same day. The case named four people as accused: Abdul Salam, son of Kalam Box of Jhalbari area; Md Khurshid Alam, 35, and Md Khairul Sheikh, 28, both sons of Salam Sheikh; and Ershad, son of Kala Babu of the same area.

The case was subsequently investigated by the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI). On 11 September 2019, the investigating officer, PBI police inspector Md Golam Rasul, submitted a charge sheet to the court against the four accused.

The case then proceeded through the judicial process, with the court examining the evidence and proceedings presented during the trial. After considering the evidence, the court found three of the accused guilty and handed down death sentences. The fourth accused, Ershad, was acquitted as the prosecution failed to establish the allegations against him to the required legal standard.

The verdict brings a significant development in a case that dates back more than seven years. The killing had reportedly stemmed from a dispute involving ancestral property and the construction of a shop, highlighting how disagreements over land and inherited property can sometimes escalate into serious violence.

The three convicts were in court for the announcement of the verdict. Under Bangladesh’s legal system, however, a death sentence handed down by a trial court is subject to further judicial procedures, including review by the higher courts. The convicted individuals therefore retain the right to pursue available legal remedies under the law.

The latest verdict marks the conclusion of the trial at the lower court level, while the next stages of the legal process will determine the eventual outcome of the case.