GFCH News Flash: Five Get Death for Murdering B'desh Hindu Leader

[GFCH (India)]

B'desh: 5 Get Death Sentence for Murdering Hindu Leader
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Anisur Rahman/Dhaka | Jun 06, 2013
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Courtesy: PTI
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Five people have been sentenced to death and three others handed down
life term by a Bangladesh court for murdering a Hindu leader 13 years
ago.

District and sessions Judge of Bagerhat S M Solaiman handed down the
sentences in absentia yesterday as seven of the convicts were still on
the run, court officials said today.

Nine people were acquitted in the case.

Prosecution lawyers and police said a manhunt has been launched to
arrest the absconding convicts.

Kalidas Baral, who was a lawyer by profession, was shot dead on August
20, 2000. He was the President of the District Puja Udjapon Parishad,
central leader of Hindu, Buddhist-Christian Oikya Parishad and local
leader of ruling Awami League.

"He was a victim of political rivalry...The rivals within the party
had decided to kill him as they could not face him politically," a
relative earlier said.

But his relatives said they were unhappy with the verdict. Baral's
wife said she would appeal in a higher court against the judgment as
more culprits remained beyond the justice.
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