Unakoti district court sentences three youths to life imprisonment in murder case

Three youths were sentenced to life imprisonment on Tuesday for the brutal murder of a mason six years ago during an arbitration meeting in a Panchayat office in Tripura’s Unakoti district, officials said.

Public Prosecutor Sunirmal Deb said that the verdict was delivered on Tuesday by Unakoti District Court judge Sudipta Chowdhury.

He said that the incident took place on April 28, 2019. Magbat Ali, a resident of Bhagwan Nagar from the nearby Gournagar block area, had an old dispute with Zamir Ali of Irani village.

The Legal Aid wing at the Yubarajnagar Panchayat office organised an arbitration meeting to resolve the issue. Magbat attended the meeting with his brother Achab Ali, while Zamir Ali was accompanied by his two brothers -- Hossain Ali and Sahin Ali.

During the arbitration meeting, it was unanimously decided that Magbat Ali would pay Rs 5,000 to Zamir Ali to settle the dispute. However, Magbat readily could arrange only Rs 3,000 and expressed his inability to pay the full amount immediately.

Therefore, the Legal Aid arbitrators informally suggested that the parties step outside the office to discuss and resolve the issue. But as soon as they stepped onto the veranda of the Panchayat office, Hossain and Sahin held Magbat while Zamir Ali slit his throat with a sharp knife.

Magbat collapsed on the spot, bleeding profusely. Police from Irani police station arrived shortly after and rushed Magbat to Unakoti District Hospital, where he was declared dead.

Later that evening, Magbat’s brother Achab Ali filed a case against Zamir, Hossain, and Sahin. Investigating Officer Chaitanya Riang arrested the accused and submitted a chargesheet to the court on August 31, 2019.

During the trial, 14 witnesses testified against the accused, while five witnesses spoke in their defence.

After years of legal proceedings, the Unakoti District Court found Zamir Ali, Hossain Ali, and Sahin Ali guilty on Monday.

On Tuesday, the court sentenced all three to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each. Failing to pay the fine would result in an additional three months imprisonment.