Two death-row convicts in a case filed over murder of Rajshahi University (RU) Professor S Taher Ahmed are set to be executed anytime as the Supreme Court cleared the way for it on Tuesday.

Two convicts are Associate Professor Dr Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin of the same university and deceased’s caretaker Md Jahangir Alam.

All legal procedures are exhausted as the Supreme Court rejected pleas of the death-row convicts and President turned down clemency petitions.

Rajshahi jail authorities have taken all necessary preparedness to hang duo and held mock execution.

Members of families of the two convicts were called to prisons to have last meetings.

Relatives of Dr Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin came to jail at 11am while those of caretaker Jahangir an hour later.

Body of Prof Taher of Geology and Mining Department of Rajshahi University was found in a septic tank two days after he went missing on February 1, 2006.

Two days later, his son Sanzid filed a murder case with Motihar Police Station in Rajshahi.

Rajshahi Speedy Trial Tribunal, on May 22, 2008, awarded death penalty to four people. To others, including former RU Chhatra Shibir president Mahbubul Alam Salehi, were acquitted.

On May 13, 2013, the High Court confirmed capital punishment of Dr Mohiuddin and Jahangir, but commuted punishment of Salam and Nazmul to imprisonment unto death.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court turned down review petitions of the two condemned prisoners on March 2, 2023.

An eight-member bench headed by Chief justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order.

In a latest development, the SC has rejected petitions which solicited an order to halt execution of convicts.

The four-member bench of the Appellate Division led by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order.

So, there is no bar to executing the two death row convicts now.

Reasons behind killing

Various reasons including professional jealousy and fundamental politics of Chhatra Shibir in Rajshahi University campus acted behind killing of Prof Taher.

Professional jealousy

Taher was a Professor at the Geology and Mining Department while convict Mohiuddin was an Associate Professor.

In its observation, the court said that convict Prof Dr Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin feared that he would not be able to become a professor if Taher remained alive, and killed him out of professional jealousy.

Fundamental politics of Shibir

However, after Prof Mohammad Yunus, Taher was the second such influential teacher of Rajshahi University to be killed by individuals with alleged links to Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir.