Hitu Sheikh, the prime accused in the rape and murder of eight-year-old Asiya, gave a confessional statement in court on Saturday.
Fearing public outrage or the possibility of the perpetrator getting attacked by the public, the police secretly presented Hitu Sheikh before the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Sabyasachi Roy at 4pm on Saturday, a holiday.
According to court sources, Hitu admitted his guilt and provided a statement acknowledging his involvement in the crime. However, Magura district police have yet to make an official statement regarding the matter.
Advocate Shahed Hasan Togor, general secretary of the Magura District Bar Association, also confirmed that Hitu Sheikh had given a confessional statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
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Earlier, protests erupted across the country, including among students in Magura, demanding public trial of Hitu Sheikh and his family. Protesters blockaded Magura Sadar Police Station, the Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court, and the highway.
On March 10, in an unprecedented move, Hitu Sheikh and his two sons were presented in a Magura court at 2am for a remand hearing. The court granted a seven-day remand for Hitu and a five-day remand each for his sons Sajib Sheikh, Ratul Sheikh, and his wife, Jayeda Khatun.
The case has drawn national attention after the tragic death of Asiya. On March 6 at dawn, Asiya, who had come to visit her sister’s house, became severely ill after being raped allegedly by her brother-in-law’s father, Hitu Sheikh. Despite receiving treatment in various hospitals, she ultimately passed away at the Dhaka Combined Military Hospital (CMH) on Thursday, March 13.
In response, enraged protesters burned down and demolished the houses of the accused, reducing them to rubble. Students and activists continue to blockade the Dhaka-Khulna highway daily in protest, demanding justice for Asiya.
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