Bangladesh | Prof Taher killers likely to be executed on Thursday night

Both to be hanged simultaneously in Rajshahi jail

The two convicted killers of Rajshahi University Prof S Taher Ahmed are likely to be executed at 10:01pm on Thursday, Rajshahi jail authorities said on Wednesday.

Both death row convicts will be hanged simultaneously in Rajshahi jail.

Family members of the two death row convicts—Dr Miah Mohiuddin and Jahangir Alam—visited them in the prison on Tuesday. With this, the execution process started.

Seven-eight executioners have been prepared to execute the two. They have rehearsed the execution several times.

Jahangir's younger brother Mizanur Rahman said on Tuesday that the jail authorities sent them and the family of Mohiuddin a letter on Sunday to meet the two inmates for the last time.

Dr Miah Mohiuddin, too, met his family for the last time.

The deputy commissioner, civil surgeon, DIG (prisons) and top officials of the jail held a meeting inside the prison at noon on Tuesday in this regard.

Earlier, the Appellate Division rejected a leave-to-appeal that sought the verdict against Jahangir to be scrapped.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique, passed the order.

The development left no bar to executing the two death row convicts.

On May 3, the Supreme Court published the full text of the verdict, rejecting the review petitions.

On April 5, 2022, the apex court sentenced two people to death and two others to life imprisonment in the case.

On March 2 this year, the Appellate Division rejected the review petitions of three persons, including the two death row convicts.

The two sentenced to life terms are Nazmul Alam and Abdus Salam, both relatives of caretaker Jahangir Alam.

Prof Taher was a full professor in the Geology and Mining Department while convict Mohiuddin is an associate professor in the same department. He went missing from his university quarter on February 1 evening while his body was found the next day in the septic tank.

The Speedy Trial Tribunal said that convict Prof Dr Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin feared that he would not be able to become a professor if Taher remained alive, and killed him out of professional jealousy.

The Speedy Trial Tribunal awarded the death penalty to Prof Dr Mohiuddin and caretaker of teachers’ housing area Jahangir Alam for the gruesome murder.

On February 3, a murder case was filed at Motihar police station in Rajshahi, following a complaint lodged by his son Sanzid.

A Rajshahi Speedy Trial Tribunal on May 22, 2008 sentenced four people to death in the case and acquitted two others, including former RU Chhatra Shibir president Mahbubul Alam Salehi.

On May 13, 2013, the High Court upheld the death penalty for Mohiuddin and Jahangir but sentenced Salam and Nazmul to imprisonment until death.

After the order, Mohiuddin, Jahangir and Salam moved the apex court.

Source: dhakatribune.com, Staff, July 26, 2023

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