7 militants sentenced to death for killing Sufi shrine caretaker

Seven militants, including neo-JMB terror group's regional chief, were sentenced to death today in Bangladesh for killing a Sufi shrine caretaker in 2015.

The militants hacked Rahmat Ali, the caretaker of a shrine, and slit his throat on November 10, 2015.

The militant group is ideologically opposed the moderate Sufi philosophy, which calls for universal fraternity and interfaith harmony.

Police filed charges against 15 people in the case. The court indicted the suspects on August 16 last year.

A court in Rangpur has sentenced seven militants, including neo-JMB regional commander Masud Rana, to death for the murder.

"Six of the seven convicts faced the trial in person and were present on the dock as Judge Naresh Chandra Sarker pronounced the verdict. . . the rest is on the run," a prosecution lawyer told PTI as he was reached in Dhaka by phone.

He said four of the convicts were also sentenced to death by another Rangpur court for murdering a Japanese national Kunio Hoshi last year.

The court officials said, the tribunal, however, acquitted a suspected leader of the Neo-JMB and five others finding their no involvement to the murder of Kawnia shrine caretaker Rahmat Ali.

The JMB has been held responsible for a wave of extremist attacks on religious minorities and bloggers in the past five years.

In July 2016, JMB militants stormed a Dhaka cafe and massacred 22 hostages, including an Indian.

Bangladesh has been waging a campaign against JMB and other homegrown militant outfits after the attacks.

Hundreds of militants were also arrested as part of a crackdown. Many of them have already been sentenced to death for the attacks.