The court also fined the outlaw Tk 50,000, in default he is to suffer three more years in jail. Judge Mohammad Abdus Samad pronounced the judgement at noon and acquitted 21 others as the murder charge brought against them were not proved.

According to the prosecution, BNP activist Humayun Kabir Shaikh was gunned down by the NBCP cadres on May 8, 2003 at Kathaltala Bazar under Dumuria upazila of Khulna district.

His wife Zohra Khatoon lodged a FIR (first information report) with Dumuria Police Station as complainant on May 10.

Sub-Inspector Wahidul Islam Khan, investigation officer (IO) of the case, pressed charges against 22 NBCP operatives on January 26 last year. The charge of the case was framed on September 29 the same year.

Debu Prashed Roy, also an accused in 21 more murder cases, was earlier acquitted in Journalist Nahor Ali and Shukur Hossain murder cases.