Man jailed for 10 years for attack on Ghoraghat UNO

A Dinajpur court has sentenced Rabiul Islam, the accused in a case filed over the attack on former Ghoraghat Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Wahida Khanom and her father, to 10 years rigorous imprisonment, Tk10 thousand in fine and 6 months imprisonment in default.

Dinajpur Additional District and Sessions Judge Court-3 Judge Sadia Sultana gave this verdict on Tuesday (8 November) morning.

"Court found him guilty under section 307 and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Tk10,000. As he was also tied under Section 325 of the Penal Code, he was sentenced to another 3 years and paid a fine of Tk3,000. He was awarded another 3 months imprisonment. However, the judgment of these two cases will be effective together. As a result, the accused will have to serve 10 years of imprisonment. The rule of law has been established through this verdict. No one can get through wrongdoing, will not get through," Public Prosecutor (PP) Rabiul Islam said. 

According to court sources, the case has been handled in Dinajpur Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court since the beginning. A total of 53 witnesses testified in the case. The case was transferred to the Additional District and Sessions Judge-3 Court of Dinajpur.

On the night of 2 September, 2020, Mali Rabiul Islam, 35, of Ghoraghat upazila parishad entered the official residence of the then UNO Wahida Khanam. Rabiul Islam attacked UNO Wahida Khanam, and her father Omar Ali Sheikh with a hammer and seriously injured them before fleeing.  

They were taken to Rangpur Medical College in critical condition and later to National Neuroscience Hospital in Dhaka by air ambulance.

Police Inspector Sheikh Farid, brother of Wahida Khanam, filed a case at Ghoraghat Police Station as the plaintiff in this incident on 3 September. Later the case was handed over to the Detective Branch (DB) of the Police.

DB Police investigated and arrested Rabiul Islam, son of deceased Khatib Uddin, from his house on 11 September in Bhimpur village of Biral upazila of Mali Dinajpur district. He gave a confessional statement in court on 20 September.

On the basis of his confession, the then DB OC Imam Zafar submitted the charge sheet to the court on 21 November.