BANGLADESH: TWO SENTENCED TO DEATH, SIX OTHERS TO LIFE FOR KILLING ZILLUR BHANDARI IN CHATTOGRAM

March 1, 2022:

A Chattogram court on 14 February 2022 sentenced two people to death and six others to life in prison for the murder of Zillur Bhandari.
The verdict was announced by Chattogram Additional District and Sessions Judge Sheikh Samidul Islam.
The death row convicts are Shaheedul Islam Khokon and Ismail.
The six who received life sentences in prison are Abu, Kamal, Jashim, Tota Mia, Nasir and Sumon.
Only Shaheedul Islam Khokon is in custody. The remaining suspects are at large.
Zillur Rahman aka Zillur Bhandari was shot dead near the main gates of the Ranirhat Primary School in Chattogram’s Rangunia Upazila on 21 January 2015.
According to the case documents, Zillur’s brother Mohammad Ziauddin Bablu had sponsored convict Ismail’s brother Mohammad Jabbar to go to Qatar three months before the murder.
But visa complications led to arguments between Bablu and Jabbar and the sponsorship was cancelled, forcing Jabbar to return to Bangladesh.
On the night of 20 January 2015, Ismail saw Zillur at Ranirhat Bazar, asked him why his brother had been sent home and demanded the return of Tk 250,000 the family paid for the sponsorship.
This led to an argument. The following day, Zillur was attacked when he was alone and beaten. He was then shot in the leg.
Zillur was taken to Chattogram Medical College Hospital for treatment and died that day.
The trial ended 12 December and the court had initially set 11 January for the verdict, but it was eventually delayed to 15 February.