Serafina Mardi Tragedy
Legal experts suggest fresh suicide provocation case
A fresh suicide provocation case can be filed against nine alleged rapists of indigenous girl Serafina Mardi as the case filed by police in Godagari upazila of Rajshahi district did not include their names as accused, legal experts observe. The to be accused should be included in the case already filed by police against the priest of Surshunipara Catholic Church and 12 other indigenous community leaders for instigating Serafina's suicide through deciding to solemnise her marriage with one of the rapists in an out-of-court settlement, they said. "Serafina's mother Sushana Soren is preparing to lodge a fresh case for provoking suicide as per advice of the legal experts," said Dil Sitara Begum Chuni, president of Rajshahi divisional unit of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association that is providing legal support to the victim's family. Although national media referring to the victim's family members reported that the rapists and their family members had also roles in provoking her to self-immolation, it was not mentioned in the police case. Neither the rapists nor their fathers, who were also present at the out-of-court settlement held at Surshunipara Catholic Church, were included in the list of the accused. Earlier all the nine accused in the case for gang rape of Serafina were acquitted from the court following 'misleading' statement of her father made allegedly under pressure from community leaders. “Serafina's suicide followed the nine alleged rapists' acquittal from the court and her family members have alleged that the criminals' behaviour provoked her to commit suicide. Now, relieving them from the accusation of provoking suicide would be tantamount to saving them,” Hamidul Haque, a senior lawyer of Rajshahi court, said after analysing all of Serafina's case documents. Nina Goswami, senior deputy director (Legal Aid) of Ain O Shalish Kendra, also gave similar opinion. Serafina's sister Sabina Mardi, who along with her father Cornelius Mardi has been shifted to Rajshahi city for security, said, "Since their acquittal, the rapists used to roam around our house and often teased Serafina. The rapists and their family members often told her that she should die.” Failing to cope with the humiliation, Serafina set herself on fire after pouring kerosene at her Amtulipara village home on February 17 and she succumbed to her injuries on February 20. After she died, sub inspector Ataur Rahman of Godagari police station filed the suicide provocation case against 13 people and ten of the accused including Father Bernard Tudu, the Catholic priest, were arrested.
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