5 sentenced to death get acquitted

The High Court yesterday acquitted all five people, who were sentenced to death by a lower court in Netrokona, in a case filed for the abduction and gang rape of a teenage girl in 2002, as the allegations brought against them were not proved beyond reasonable doubt.

The HC bench of Justice S M Emdadul Hoque and Justice Bhishmadev Chakraborty delivered the verdict after hearing the appeals of the convicted accused and the death reference (lower court documents) of the case.

The HC acquitted the five on the grounds that there was no evidence of rape in the medical report, no eye witnesses of the incident and due to inconsistencies in the statements made by the victim and her witnesses, Deputy Attorney General Md Mozammal Haque Rana told The Daily Star.

He, however, said the government will move an appeal before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court challenging the HC verdict.

On Jul 20, 2002, the girl was allegedly abducted and gang raped in Durgapur upazila's Kalikabar village while she was heading to a relative's house, according to the case documents.

The district and sessions judge's court of Netrokona on February 25, 2015, sentenced the five accused to death.

The accused are Shamim, Vikon Rongdi, Tikon Rongdi, Tapash Shema and Rup Miah, who is absconding, of Netrokona's Purbadhala upazila.

The district court also fined the accused Tk 25,000 each.

Lawyers Fazlul Hoque Khan Farid, AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, Bazlur Rahman and few others appeared for the accused.