Sylhet Correspondent:

A Sylhet court has sentenced eight individuals to death, seven to life imprisonment, and 17 others to two years of rigorous imprisonment in connection with the 2021 murder of a schoolboy in Bishwanath upazila.

The verdict was delivered on Wednesday by Judge Syeda Amina Farhin of Sylhet’s Additional District and Sessions Judge Court (3rd Court), who was serving as the acting judge of the 1st Court.

Court sources confirmed that among the 34 accused in the case, 31 are currently in custody, while one of the two-year convicts, Mamunur Rashid, remains absconding. Alongside the life sentences, each of the seven convicts has also been fined Tk 50,000, with an additional two years of imprisonment in case of non-payment. The remaining 17 convicts received two years of rigorous imprisonment each.

According to the case details, on May 1, 2021, Sumel Ahmed, a tenth-grade student of Shahjalal High School in Bishwanath, was shot dead during a land dispute in Chauldhoni Haor area. On that day, UK expatriate Saiful Alam attempted to excavate soil from a disputed field in Chaitannyanagar village, claimed by Nazir Uddin. When Nazir, his cousin Manik Miah, and his 18-year-old nephew Sumel objected, an altercation broke out. During the confrontation, Saiful opened fire, killing Sumel and injuring four others, including Sumel’s father and uncle.

Following the incident, Sumel’s uncle filed a murder case with Bishwanath Police Station against 34 individuals. The case was later transferred to the District and Sessions Judge Court under case number 606/2022. After lengthy proceedings, final arguments concluded on July 13 this year, and the court set July 30 for the verdict. On the same day, the court also ordered 30 of the convicts to be sent to jail.

The judgment marks a significant milestone in the case nearly four years after the brutal killing, which had sparked outrage in the local community. Court bench assistant (Peshkar) Al Amin Rana confirmed the details of the verdict following its pronouncement.