A Dhaka court sentenced five to death and six others for life term imprisonment for killing Zubair Ahmed, an English department student of Jahangirnagar University in 2012. Two others accused were acquitted from the case.

Khandaker Ashikul Islam, Rashidul Islam Raju, Khan Mohammad Rais, Zahid Hasan of zoology department and Mahabub Akram of government and politics department were awarded death penalty.

Ishtiaq Mehbub alias Arup of philosophy department, Najmus Sakib Topu of biochemistry and molecular biology, Kamruzzaman Sohag of philosophy, Abhinandon Kundu of statistics, Majharul Islam and Shafiul Alam Setu were sentenced life term in prison.

Speedy Trial Tribunal 4 Judge ABM Nizamul Haque announced the verdict on Sunday.

The court also acquitted Mahamudul Hasan Masud of history department and Najmul Hossein Plabon of public administration.
The verdict, due on 4 February, had been postponed by the tribunal as the defendant failed to attend the court due to ongoing hartal.

The verdict was set for 8 February.

Zubair was hacked by some BCL JU unit activists on January 8, 2012 and he later succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital in capital the following day.

Later, the then Registrar of the university Hamidur Rahman filed a murder case with Ashulia police station in this connection.

Ashulia police sub-inspector Mir shahin Shah Pervez submitted a charge sheet against 13 students of the university on 8 April 2012.

The accused were- Shafiul Alam Setu, Abhinandan Kundu of Statistics department of the univesity, Nazmul Hassan Plaban of Public Administration, Kamruzzaman Sohag of Philosophy, Mazahrul Islam and Mahmudul Hasan of History, Nazmus Shakib Tapu of Microbiology, Ashiqul Islam Ashique, Khan Mohammed Riaz and Zahid Hassan of Zoology, Istiaque Mehbub Arup and Rashedul Islam Razu of Philosophy and Mahbub Akram of Government and Politics department.

Among them Ashique, Riaz, Akram and Arup fled from the court during a hearing.

Later, the case was shifted to the Speedy Trial Tribunal and the tribunal framed charges against the 13 BCL activists on 8 September 2013.

Earlier, the court sent the seven accused persons who were on bail to jail fixing 4 February as the day for delivering verdict.