Nusrat Murder: Tribunal set to deliver verdict today

The Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal in Feni is set to deliver the verdict in the madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi murder case today.

The victim’s family and the state counsel hope for maximum punishment of the accused. 

“We have succeeded in proving that the accused are involved in the killing. People are eagerly waiting for the verdict. We hope that the tribunal will give the accused maximum punishment,” said Feni’s Public Prosecutor Hafez Ahmed. 

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, the victim’s brother Mahmudul Hasan Noman also hoped for maximum punishment of the accused. 

Meanwhile, police were deployed in and around Nusrat’s home yesterday to ensure security of the family members. 

Besides, security has been beefed up on the court premises centring on the judgement, said Court Inspector Golam Zilani. 

Nusrat, an Alim examinee of Sonagazi Senior Fazil Madrasa, was sexually harassed by madrasa principal (now sacked) Siraj Ud Doula on March 27. After the incident, her mother filed a case against Siraj, who was later arrested and sent to jail.  

Since the arrest, the principal’s associates were threatening Nusrat’s family to withdraw the case. But the family did not do so.

On April 6, Nusrat was set on fire when she went to the madrasa to sit for an exam in the madrasa building. 

Around 80 percent of her body was burnt. After fighting for her life for five days, Nusrat died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on April 10, which triggered a huge public outcry across the country. 

On May 29, the Police Bureau of Investigation pressed charges against 16 accused. 

They are former madrasa principal Siraj, former vice-president of the madrasa governing body and Sonagazi upazila Awami League president Ruhul Amin, former member of the governing body and acting general secretary of Sonagazi municipality unit AL Maksudul Alam, madrasa teachers Abdul Kader, and Afsar Uddin, madrasa students Saifur Rahman Mohammad Zubayer, Javed Hossain alias Shakhawat Hossain,  Kamrunnahar Moni, Umme Sultana Poppy, Abdur Rahim Sharif, Iftekhar Uddin Rana, Imran Hossain Mamun, Mohiuddin Shakil, Mohammad Shamim, Nuruddin, and Shahadat Hossain Shamim. Maksudul is also a councillor of Sonagazi municipality.

Of them, 12 gave confessional statements before the court, said PP Hafez. 

Trial of the case began on June 27. The court recorded statements of 87 witnesses. On September 30, the tribunal fixed October 24 for delivering the judgement in the case, he added.