A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Sunamganj court for bludgeoning his sister-in-law to death with a hammer and severely injuring her four-year-old granddaughter. The brutal attack stemmed from a bitter family dispute over the sale of inherited property.
The convict, 40-year-old Md Azlu Miah, was handed down the life verdict on Sunday (27 September) by Judge Muhammad Akbar Hossain of the First Additional Sessions Judge’s Court in Sunamganj. In addition to the prison term, the court ordered Azlu Miah to pay a fine of 10,000 taka, with a failure to pay resulting in an additional two months of simple imprisonment.
According to court case documents, the fatal incident took place on the evening of 14 December 2015 in the Notun Bagbari neighbourhood of Derai Municipality. The victim’s son-in-law, Md Mafshir Ali, testified that tensions had been running high between Azlu Miah and other family members regarding his decision to sell ancestral land below market value.
The dispute culminated when an enraged Azlu Miah barged into the victim’s residence wielding an iron claw hammer. He launched a sudden attack on his 60-year-old sister-in-law, Hamida Khanam, striking her repeatedly about the head and upper body. When her four-year-old granddaughter, Ruma Akhtar Sima, attempted to intervene, Azlu Miah struck the child as well, inflicting critical trauma.
Hamida Khanam succumbed to severe head injuries at the scene, while little Sima collapsed with life-threatening wounds. Hearing the commotion and screams for help, nearby neighbours rushed into the house and apprehended Azlu Miah red-handed, seizing the weapon from his grip before handing him over to Derai Police Station officers. The wounded child was rescued and transferred to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital for urgent treatment.
The following day, on 15 December 2015, a murder case was formally registered at Derai Police Station. Following a thorough police investigation and lengthy trial proceedings during which prosecution witnesses presented key testimonies and forensic evidence, the court found Azlu Miah guilty of murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code.
Property-related disputes remain a prominent factor in rural and suburban domestic violence cases across Bangladesh. Legal experts observe that long-standing grievances over land inheritance often escalate into severe physical altercations when mediation mechanisms fail. The victim’s family expressed relief at the judicial verdict, stating that the sentencing brings a measure of justice following a decade-long wait.
