Minny, five others get death over daylight murder of Barguna youth Refat

A Barguna court has sentenced Aysha Siddika Minny and five others to death in the daylight murder of her husband Refat Shorif in 2019.

Barguna Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 30 Sept 2020, 08:12 AM
Updated : 30 Sept 2020, 10:10 AM

District and Sessions Judge Md Asaduzzaman delivered the verdict in the closely-watched case amid tight security on Wednesday.

Four other suspects in the case were acquitted by the court.

Of the 24 people formally charged over the grisly murder that sent shockwaves across the country in 2019, 10 have been tried as adults in a regular court.

The 14 other suspects are facing trial in the juvenile court in Barguna.

A large police contingent was deployed to the court premises ahead of the verdict, while traffic in the area was also controlled.

Refat was hacked to death on a Barguna road on Jun 26. A video of Minny's desperate attempts to save her husband later went viral on social media.

The assailants launched the attack when the couple was returning home from Barguna Government College, of which Minny was a first-year undergraduate student.

The following day, Refat’s father Dulal Shorif accused 12 people in the case over the murder.

The case subsequently took a new turn after Dulal accused Minny of having a hand in the killing.

Barguna Sadar Police Inspector Md Humayun Kabir later pressed charges in court against 24 people, including Minny, on Sep 2, 2019.

The arguments of both sides in the case closed on Sept 16.

The 23-year-old Rakibul Hasan alias Rifat Forazi, a relative of Barguna District Council Chairman Delwar Hossain, was the key suspect in the case.

Security footage from the CC camera at the college gate showed Rifat and two others scything the victim with long, sharp weapons.

He now faces the death penalty along with four of his associates. They are Al Qayum alias Rabbi Akon, 21, Mohaiminul Islam Sifat, 19, Rezwan Ali Khan Hridoy alias Tiktok Hridoy, 22, and Md Hasan, 19.

Minny, who had been the No. 1 witness in the case started by Refat’s father Dulal, was identified as the seventh accused in the charge-sheet.

The court subsequently heard the testimonies of 76 witnesses over the course of the trial.

In his ruling, the judge noted that the prosecution was “able to prove” Minny's involvement in the “conspiracy” to kill Refat.

However, the charges against four other suspects in the case -- Md Musa, 22, Rafiul Islam Rabbi, 20, Md Sagar, 19, and Kamrul Hasan Saimun, 21, were dropped due to a lack of evidence to tie them to the murder.

All the accused were behind bars, except Minny, who was released on bail, while Musa is on the run. They were all present in court for the verdict.

Minny’s father Mozammel Hoque Kishore drove her to the district court on Wednesday morning. They arrived in court around 9 am. Mozammel was hopeful that his daughter would be exonerated by the court.

But after the verdict was announced, Minny was taken to prison along with the other convicts.

In an instant reaction to the ruling, Mozammel told reporters: "We didn't get justice. My daughter is the victim of a conspiracy. We will appeal against the decision."

Minny's legal counsel Mahbubul Bari Aslam also confirmed that an appeal would be lodged. “We contended that the prosecution failed to prove the charges (against Minny). We are disappointed with the verdict."

Meanwhile, Refat's father Dulal Shorif expressed satisfaction over the outcome of the trial. "Minny and five others have been handed the highest punishment. We are happy with the ruling."

Reacting to the verdict, Public Prosecutor Bhuban Chandra Hawlader said, "The court handed down the capital punishment because we were able to prove the allegations against them."