Seven militants sentenced to death for killing Sufi shrine caretaker

Dhaka March 18 (PTI): 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, according to a media report.
The militants hacked Rahmat Ali, the caretaker of a shrine, and slit his throat on November 10, 2015, Daily Star reported.
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.
But neo-JMB leader Jahangir Alam and five others have been acquitted, the report said.
The verdict was announced by Rangpur Special Judge Naresh Chandra Sarkar.
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.