16 get life term for killing man in Patuakhali

PATUAKHALI, Sept 19 (UNB): A Patuakhali court on Thursday sentenced 16 people to life term in jail in a case over the killing of a man centring union parishad election in Sadar upazila around 13 years back.

District Additional Sessions Judge AKM Enamul Karim handed down the judgment, said the court's additional public prosecutor Md Harun-Or-Rashid.

The court also acquitted a man from the case as the charges brought against him were found not to be true, he said.

According to the case statement, rivals killed one Md Shahidul Islam over the UP election at Mithapur village on April 4, 2011.

On the following day, the victim's father filed a murder case naming 20 people and some 15 to 20 unnamed ones at Sadar police station.

After the investigation, police pressed chargesheet while the court framed the charges against 17 accused.

However, the defendants' lawyers Abul Kashem and Mukul said they would move to the High Court challenging the trial court verdict.