'Sonagazi principal harassed Nusrat’s classmate'

Sonagazi madrasa principal Siraj Ud Doula, who is being tried for the murder of madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi, allegedly abused and sexually harassed several other female students.

Nusrat’s two female classmates told this while giving their witness accounts before Feni Women and Children Repression Prevention Court of Mamunur Rashed today.

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During her witness, one of the girls alleged that Principal Siraj had also sexually harassed her in October calling her at his office room.

They told the court that on March 27, Principal Siraj Ud Doula of Sonagazi Islamia Senior Fazil Madrasa in Feni called Nusrat from her classroom to his office by his personal assistant Nurul Amin.

Being informed about the principal’s misdeeds beforehand, Nusrat went his office with the two girls, they said.

Keeping Nusrat in his room, the principal drove Nishat and Nasrin out from his room.

After some time, Nusrat came out from his room crying and went to her classroom. They asked her what happened but she didn’t tell them anything. At one stage, she felt ill and her brother took her home, they told the court.

They also accompanied Nusrat but the principal hindered them from going with her. Later, they tactically went to Nusrat’s house, where she told them that the principal had abused her.

Later, a meeting was held at the Madrasa where Nusrat fainted and fell down on the floor. After a while, the then Sonagazi OC Moazzem came to the madrasa and took them along with Siraj to the police station, where the OC quizzed Nusrat and the two girls and recorded the video with his mobile phone.

During the period, the lawyers of the accused cross-examined Nusrat.

They told before the court that Shahadat Hossain Shamim, Nur Uddin, Javid Hossain, Jubair Hossain, Kamrunnahar Moni, Umme Sultana Popi and other associates set Nusrat on fire on directive of principal Siraj Ud Doula for not withdrawing the case of sexual harassment against him.

They also told the court that they saw Nur Uddin in front of the examination hall and Md Shamim and Shakil under the cyclone shelter in the morning before Nusrat was set on fire.

During his witness, Nasrin Sultana alleged that Principal Siraj had also sexually harassed her in October calling her at his office room.

The duo gave their witnesses before the court for about five hours from 11:30am till 4:30pm today.

The court has been adjourned till 10:00am tomorrow when cross-examination of one of the two girls and witness of Nurul Amin, the personal assistant of the principal, will be held.

Nusrat Jahan Rafi, a student of Sonagazi Islamia Senior Fazil Madrasa, was set ablaze on April 6 allegedly for refusing to withdraw a case filed against the principal for sexually harassing her.

Only a few minutes before the Alim exams on April 6, four unidentified people allegedly took Nusrat to the roof of the three-storey administrative building of the madrasa saying that one of her friends was being assaulted there, victim’s brother Mahmudul Hasan Noman had told this newspaper earlier.

She lost her battle for life on April 10, five days after she was set afire -- an incident that sparked outrage all over the country.