Five expelled activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League of Jahangirnagar University unit were sentenced to death and six others to life term imprisonment today for killing Zubair Ahmed, a student of the university, in 2012.

Judge ABM Nizamul Haque of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-4 of Dhaka acquitted two other accused -- Mahamudul Hasan Masud of history department and Najmul Hossein Plabon of public administration -- of the charges as allegations brought against them were not proved.

Zubair, an honours final year student of English department, was tortured and stabbed allegedly by some activists of BCL, pro-Awami League student body, on January 8, 2012. He died from his injuries in a Dhaka hospital the next day.

Among the accused, Khandaker Ashikul Islam alias Ashik, Rashidul Islam Raju, Khan Mohammad Rais alias Sohan and Zahid Hasan of zoology department and Mahabub Akram of government and politics department were awarded death penalty.

The court sentenced six others -- Ishtiaq Mehbub alias Arup of philosophy department, Najmus Sakib Topu of biochemistry and molecular biology, Kamruzzaman Sohag of philosophy, Abhinandon Kundu of statistics, Majharul Islam and Shafiul Alam Setu – to life in prison in the case.

The five condemned convict and a lifer, Arup, escaped from the court dock in February 2014 and since then, they remained absconding.

On completion of the arguments from the prosecution and defence, the court on January 28 had fixed February 4 for pronouncing the judgment. But the new date was set as seven of the accused, now in jail, could not be produced before the court on security grounds amid the ongoing BNP-led alliance's hartal.A Dhaka court framed charges against 13 expelled BCL men in connection with the killing on September 8 last year.

The court recorded statements of 27 prosecution witnesses, including complainant of the case.

Following Zubair’s death, JU Deputy Registrar Hamidur Rahman filed a case with Ashulia Police Station.

On April 8 last year, police submitted the charge sheet against the accused.

The JU syndicate on January 30 expelled seven of the 13 accused for life and six others for two years after a probe committee found their involvement in the killing.

The students, who were expelled for life, are Ashik, Rais, Zahid, Rashidul, Arup, Akram and Topu.