A PATUAKHALI court on Monday sentenced seven persons including a UP chairman and his brother to life-term imprisonment for gouging out eyes of a youth in Patuakhali in 1996.
   The court also fined each of them Tk 5 thousand or to serve one more year in prison in default.
   The convicts are Manir Hossain Molla, chairman of Kalaia union parishad under Bauphal upazila, Alkas Molla, his brother, Nasiruddin Nannu, Md Forkan, Bagha Alam, Shahidul and Babul Matubbor.
   According to the prosecution, the convicts, in a sequel to previous enmity, attacked the house of Azahar Munshi at village Barodalia of Naziirpur union under Bauphal on August 3, 1996 and abducted Kamal Hossain, 30, son of Azahar.
   Later they tortured Kamal and gouged out his two eyes and left him at roadside with his hands and legs strapped. Local people took him to hospital.
   A case was lodged with the Bauphal police station on next day by the victim and the police submitted charge sheet against the seven persons.
   After examining 24 witnesses and other evidences and arguments of the both sides, special tribunal judge Tapan Kumar Dey handed down the verdict.

A MOBILE court in Sirajganj on Sunday fined nine eateries more than Tk 3 lakh on various charges.
   Of the eateries, Armani Hotel and Restaurant was fined Tk 50 thousand, Baishaki Hotel Tk 5 thousand, Basundhura Hotel and Restaurant Tk 30 thousand, Subrato Sweets as Tk 30 thousand, Bismillah Hotel Tk 10 thousand, Dhanshiri Daighar Tk 10 thousand, Hotel Aristocrats Tk 1 lakh, Food Confidence Tk 50 thousand, and Hotel Nightingale Tk 50 thousand.
   The court led by first class magistrate Md Khorshed Alam conducted the drive in the Hatikumrul Goal Chattar area in the district town and found some of these in unhygienic environment and others having no trade licences.
   The eateries were asked to pay the fines within seven days of the judgment.
   Members of the Rapid Action Battalion accompanied the court.

A MAN allegedly killed his wife in a Jessore village on Sunday.
   The deceased was Nazma Khatun, 22, wife of Ruhul Amin of village Dhopadi under Abhaynagar upazila in the district.
   Relatives of the deceased alleged that her husband strangled her for dowry.
   The police sent the body to Jessore Sadar Hospital morgue for a post-mortem examination.
   Ruhul, who has two more wives, went into hiding. A case was filed with the police.

THREE persons were killed and eight injured when a Dhaka-bound night coach dashed a rickshaw van and then hit a roadside tree at WAPDA intersection on Nilphamari-Saidpur road on Sunday night.
   Rickshaw van puller Manoranjan, 38, died on the spot. Ten injured persons were taken to Saidpur 50-bed Hospital and then shifted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital where two others, Maje Mahmud, 50, and Sultana Begum, 49, died.