United News of Bangladesh

The High Court on Monday upheld the death sentences of two convicts and commuted that of four others to life imprisonment in the much-discussed murder case of madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi in Sonagazi upazila of Feni. The High Court bench of Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice KM Rasheduzzaman Raja pronounced the verdict. The condemned convicts are SM Siraj-ud-Daula, expelled principal of Sonagazi Islamia Senior Fazil Madrasa, and Shahadat Hossain alias Shamim. The lifers are Nur Uddin, Saifur Rahman Mohammad Jobayer, Jabed Hossain alias Sakhawat Hossain and Umme Sultana alias Popy. The court acquitted the remaining 10 people as the charges against them were not proved. They are Maqsood Alam alias Moksud, a former councillor and former general secretary of Sonagazi municipality Awami League; Hafez Abdul Quader; Absar Uddin; Kamrun Nahar Moni; Abdur Rahim Sharif; Iftekhar Uddin Rana; Imran Hossain alias Mamun; Ruhul Amin, president of Sonagazi Upazila Awami League and former vice-president of the madrasa; Mohiuddin Shakil; and Mohammad Shamim. The verdict was delivered in response to the death references and appeals filed in the case following the trial court’s verdict. On October 24, 2019, Feni Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal sentenced all 16 accused to death for killing Nusrat, who was set on fire at her madrasa in April that year after she had accused the madrasa principal of sexual harassment. The court also fined each of them Tk 1 lakh. According to the prosecution, Nusrat’s mother, Shirin Akhter, filed a case on March 27, 2019 against SM Siraj-ud-Daula, then principal of Sonagazi Islamia Fazil Madrasa, accusing him of sexually harassing her daughter. Siraj-ud-Daula was subsequently arrested. His supporters sought to secure his release and later plotted to silence Nusrat. On April 3, several of the accused met Siraj in jail, and on April 4 they planned to kill Nusrat at the madrasa. On April 6, Nusrat went to the madrasa to sit for her Alim examination. She was lured to the roof of a cyclone shelter attached to her madrasah, where she was set on fire after refusing to withdraw sexual assault charges against her principal. Nusrat was rescued and initially taken to Sonagazi Upazila Health Complex before being transferred to Feni General Hospital. As her condition deteriorated, she was shifted to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital where she died on April 10, 2019. Her brother Mahmudul Hasan Noman filed the murder case on April 8. Police submitted the charge sheet on May 28, and the Feni Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal framed charges on June 20. The trial court recorded the testimony of 87 witnesses and heard arguments before delivering its verdict on October 24.