A court in Moulvibazar has sentenced two brothers to death for the murder of Azizul Mia in Rajnagar, while two other accused have been sentenced to life imprisonment. Four additional accused were acquitted after the court found that the allegations against them had not been proved.
Additional Sessions Judge-1 of Moulvibazar, Fahmida Khatun, delivered the verdict on Thursday (17 September).
The two brothers sentenced to death are Rubel Mia and Ruman Mia, residents of Muniarpar village in Rajnagar upazila. Zainal Abedin and Ripon Mia, from the same village, were sentenced to life imprisonment.
According to the case records, Azizul Mia, 45, served as a local panchayat mediator involved in resolving disputes through community arbitration. A dispute developed between him and members of the accused group in 2013 over a local arbitration process.
The prosecution case was that the dispute eventually escalated and the accused, acting together, attacked Azizul. He was killed in the assault.
Following the incident, Azizul’s wife, Rabeya Begum, filed a murder case with Rajnagar Police Station. The case then went through a lengthy judicial process, during which witnesses were heard and evidence was presented before the court.
After examining the evidence, the court found Rubel Mia and Ruman Mia directly responsible for the killing and handed them the death penalty. Zainal Abedin and Ripon Mia were sentenced to life imprisonment for assisting in the murder.
The four other accused — Swapan Mia, Zahir Mia, Komru Mia and Foysal Mia — were acquitted as the allegations against them were not established in court.
Of the four convicted men, Zainal Abedin and Ruman Mia were present in court when the verdict was announced, while Rubel Mia and Ripon Mia were absent.
The verdict marks the latest development in a case that originated from a dispute over a local arbitration more than a decade ago. The case has remained under judicial consideration for years before the court reached its decision based on the evidence placed before it.
Defence lawyers have said they will challenge the verdict before the higher court. The death sentences, therefore, remain subject to the further stages of the legal process.
Lawyers representing the plaintiff and relatives of the deceased expressed satisfaction with the verdict. For Azizul’s family, the decision brings a significant development after years of waiting for the conclusion of the case.
Additional Public Prosecutor of the Moulvibazar District Judge Court, Advocate Md Abdul Wahid, said the verdict would strengthen public confidence in the justice system. He described the decision as an example of accountability through the legal process when allegations are established through evidence.
The case involved eight accused in total. Four have now been convicted, with two receiving death sentences and two receiving life imprisonment, while the remaining four have been acquitted.
