A court in Chattogram has awarded death sentence to five convicts for killing 20 people three decades ago who were shot dead while Awami League President Sheikh Hasina was going to address a public meeting at Laldighi Maidan.
The special judge's court in Chattogram announced the verdict on Monday (Jan. 20) at noon.
The death sentence awarded convicts are - Govinda Chandra Mondal (absconding), the then patrol Inspector Kotwali Police Station, former police constable Mostafizur Rahman, Pradeep Barua, Md. Abdullah and Mumtaz Uddin.
After presenting the arguments of the prosecution on last January 19, the court cancelled the bail of four accused and sent them to jail. State prosecutors demanded the maximum punishment of five accused.
Earlier, on last January 14, the 53rd witness, lawyer Shambunath Nandi testified. The court fixed January 19 for arguments on that that day.
During the regime of Hussein Muhammad Ershad, in 1988 on January 24, on the way to a rally at Laldighi Maidan in Chittagong, police opened fire indiscriminately on the motorcade of Awami League president Sheikh Hasina. At this time, 20 people were killed. More than two hundred were injured in the attack.
On March 5 of 1992 lawyer Shahidul Huda filed a case against the accused in this connection. However, the BNP-Jamaat government did not allow the proceedings of the case. The CID filed the charge sheet against eight policemen on November 3 of 1998, after enquiry of the case twice.