Barguna District and Sessions Judge Court on Wednesday sentenced six persons, including the victim’s widow Ayesha Siddika Minni, to death for murdering Rifat Sharif in front of Barguna Government College in broad daylight on June 26.

Judge Md Asaduzzaman of the court announced the verdict in presence of all but one adult accused in the case amid tight security in and around the court.

The court gave its decision regarding 10 adult accused in the case while the trial of 14 juvenile accused in the case is undergoing at Barguna Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal.

Those, who were awarded death sentence in the case, are –Minni, Rakibul Hasan alias Rifat Faraji, 23, Al Kaiyum alias Rabbi Akan, 21, Mohaiminul Islam Sifat, 19, Rezwan Ali Khan Hridoy alias Tiktok Hridoy, 22, Md Hasan, 19, said district public prosecutor Bhuban Chanda Hawlader immediately after the verdict.

He said that the court also fined all the convicts Tk 50,000 and expressed satisfaction over the verdict.

The court acquitted four accused - Md Musa, 22, Rafiul Islam Rabbi, 20, Md Sagar, 19, and Kamrul Hasan Saymun, 21, as the allegation against them could not be proved.

Acquitted Md Musa faced the trial in absentia as he remained in hiding after the murder.

Rifat’s father Abdul Halim Dulal Sharif, as well as Minni’s father Mojammel Hossain Kishore and relatives of the accused, came to the court premises to hear the verdict.

Relatives and neighbours of Rifat gathered near the court to hear the news.

Rifat, an internet service provider by profession, was hacked to death in front of his wife Ayesha Siddika Minni who tried to prevent the attackers, according to a video available on social media after the murder.

Minni’s name was later included in the charge sheet of the case.

On September 2, 2019 investigation officer Humayun Kabir, an inspector at Barguna Sadar police station, filed two charge sheets with the Barguna Senior Judicial Magistrate’s Court in the case – one naming 10 adult ones, aged above 18, and the other against 14 juvenile ones, aged below 18, to the court.

The main accused, Sabbir Ahmed alias Nayon Bond, was killed in a reported gunfight with law enforcers on July 2, 2019, much before submitting the charge-sheet.