Brother blames media for Nur Hossain’s fate over 7-murder

The fate of former Narayanganj councillor Nur Hossain, whose death by hanging has been confirmed by the High Court in the 7-murder case, is nothing but the result of the pressure mounted by media, his brother has claimed.

“It is the media for which my brother is in this state now. They sort of chased the case proceedings leaving us with little time to take necessary preparations.

“The trial started even before the lower court could get us a lawyer,” Nur Uddin told journalists after the High Court delivered the verdict on Tuesday.

The lawyer for Nur Hossain, whose client had escaped to India but was later brought back to the country, said he would file an appeal over the verdict.

"We will seek a stay on this order even before the full copy of the verdict is published," said SRM Lutfur Rahman.

Advocate AKM Fazlul Haq Khan Farid also spoke of a similar move for his clients—former RAB-11 chief Tarek Sayeed Mohammad and Raham Ali, an accomplice of Nur Hossain.

Ali has been sentenced to life in prison.

Dead bodies of seven people, including city councillor Nazrul Islam and senior lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarkar, had washed up on the bank of river Shitalakhhya at Bandar Upazila, three days after they were abducted from the city on Apr 27 of 2014.

The discovery sent the nation into shock and eventually made international headlines after the police found several members of the Rapid Action Battalion or RAB involved in the murders.

The High Court upheld death for three former senior officers of the Narayanganj RAB-11 unit, including its then chief, former army lieutenant colonel Tarek Sayeed. He is son-in-law to Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya.

The other two are former major Arif Hossain and former lieutenant commander Masud Rana.

They had carried out the murders after being paid to do so by Nur Hossain.

The killers' primary target was councillor Nazrul, a rival of Nur Hossain, but the other victims, that included Nazrul's associates, were abducted along with him while they were returning from court.

Lawyer Chandan Sarkar and his driver were abducted and killed for having witnessed the abduction of Nazrul and his associates at Fatulla's Lamparha on Dhaka-Narayanganj Link road.

The High Court confirmed death sentences for 15 convicts.

Death penalties awarded by the trial court to 11 other convicts have been reduced to life in prison.

The court also upheld various prison terms given to nine other convicts.

Nur’s lawyer SRM Lutfur Rahman said the High Court did not consider “law and legal submission” for the defendants.

He also said Nazrul’s wife had started the case following previous animosity with Nur.

“There were six names in the case started by Nazrul’s wife. Five of them were later omitted form the chargesheet,” he said.

“Nothing is said in the chargesheet as to why the five names were dropped and only Nur Hossain was mentioned. It was a ‘pick and choose’ by the State.”

Nazrul’s wife Selina Islam Beauty is angry over the other local Awami League leaders being let off the hook.

Tarek Sayeed’s lawyer Farid said: “This case has two parts, one is conspiracy and the other is murder. Tarek Sayeed is not involved in any of them. He has been entangled into this somehow.”

The lawyer hoped to secure a verdict from top court in his favour.

Advocate MH Aminul Islam said: “We expected the accused to be acquitted as there was no evidence against them.”

He is arguing for Selim, an accomplice of Nur Hossain currently held in Indian prison.

SM Shahjahan, lawyer for another death row convict Arif Hossain, said he would move the Appellate Division against the verdict.