Dhaka, Dec 19

A court Wednesday sentenced eight Bangladesh Chhatra League activists to death and 13 to life imprisonment for killing tailor Bishwajit Das in Old Dhaka a year ago, media reported.

The vedict was delivered by Dhaka's Speedy Trial Tribunal-4, according to The Daily Star. "The tribunal thinks justice will be served by awarding maximum punishment considering the extent of the crime," bdnews24.com quoted Judge ABM Nizamul Haq as saying in his ruling.

The crime was committed in broad daylight, not in the dead of night. It was a heinous and deplorable killing, said the court about the incident that happened during the opposition's blockade in December last year.

It observed that the Bishwajit murder case was quite sensitive and different from other lawsuits.

Of the eight condemned killers, two are absconding, while 11 of the 13 convicts, who got life term, are also on the run. Most of them are students of Jagannath University.

Bangladesh Chhatra League is a pro-Awami League student body.

The incident took place Dec 9 when Bishwajit, 24, was going to his shop. He was chased by a group of activists of Jagannath University BCL unit after they mistook him for a blockader. He was beaten up and hacked to death with sharp weapons.