A Feni court yesterday sentenced all 16 accused to the gallows over the sensational murder of Nusrat Jahan Rafi, who was set on fire after she accused the principal of her madrasa of sexual harassment. The ruling by the Feni Special Women and Children’s Tribunal judge, Mamunur Rashid, came six months after 19-year-old Nusrat’s murder. In a jam-packed courtroom, the judge started reading the verdict at around 11:12am. At the beginning, he praised the media for its vigilant role and said because of the continuous coverage in the local and foreign media, the whole world learnt about the gruesome murder.

The accused were brought to the court in a prison van around 10:55am. The main accused, madrasa principal Siraj-ud-Doula, was seen in a happy mood when he was taken to the dock, while other accused seemed nonchalant.

Right after the verdict was pronounced, most of the accused became furious and started shouting. One of the accused, Mohammad Shamim, vituperated at the plaintiff’s lawyers and journalists present in the court. Another accused, Maksudul Alam, threatened Nusrat's father, Maolana AKM Musa Manik, in the packed courtroom.

Delivering the verdict, the court said the brutal killing of Nusrat inside the

madrasa shook the “conscience of the world”.

“Victim Nusrat Jahan Rafi’s brilliant sacrifice to protect the dignity of womanhood gave her immortality... Her immortality will forever be an inspiration for women, and the arrogance of the accused will surely shame humanity over time for the incident. Hence, the culprits deserve the highest severe exemplary punishment,” the verdict said. In its observation, the special tribunal also reprimanded suspended Sonagazi officer-in-charge Moazzem Hossain, who is currently in jail in connection with a case filed under the ICT Act, for failure to carry out his professional responsibilities properly. Following the verdict, all the accused were taken to the prison van, escorted by tight security, and sent back to the jail.

The convicts are: former madrasa principal SM Siraj-ud-Doula, former vice-president of the madrasa’s governing body and Sonagazi upazila Awami League president Ruhul Amin, former member of the governing body and acting general secretary of the AL’s Sonagazi municipality unit 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 the Sonagazi municipality. The tribunal also fined all the accused Tk. 1 lakh each and ordered the Feni district magistrate to hand over the amount to Nusrat’s family. This is the first time that a Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal was able to deliver a killing case verdict within six months of its filing, lawyers concerned said.

Nusrat’s family happy

Nusrat’s family expressed satisfaction at the verdict and demanded immediate execution of the sentence.

Nusrat’s father, AKM Musa Manik, said: “We are happy that the accused have been sentenced to death. Now we want the High Court to also uphold the death penalty.” He was talking to reporters outside the courtroom. Her family has sought security until execution of the verdict.

Nusrat’s elder brother, Mahmudul Hasan Noman, also the plaintiff in the case, said: “I am satisfied that justice has been served. The convicts openly threatened us in the court premises. They have been giving us threats through various mass media. We will always be grateful to the Prime Minister. We hope she will protect us until the verdict is executed. We will express our gratitude to the Prime Minister in person.”

Nusrat’s younger brother, Rashedul Hasan Raihan, thanked the Prime Minister after the verdict was passed. However, he said, until the judgment is executed, he cannot be fully satisfied. Nusrat’s father and brother were present in the court when the verdict was being delivered. Both of them broke down when the verdict was read out. “My family has cried for more than six months (since Nusrat died). We have been waiting for this day. Nusrat’s soul will now rest in peace,” Musa told reporters.

Other reactions

Expressing satisfaction over the verdict, Hafez Ahmed, public prosecutor, Feni district judge’s court, said: “All the accused were directly or indirectly involved in the sexual harassment and killing of Nusrat. After taking into consideration case documents, including Nusrat’s dying statement, different audiovisual records and telephonic conversations among the accused, the court awarded them capital punishment under Sections 4(1), 4 (1) 30 of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.”

On the other hand, defence lawyer Giasuddin Nannu expressed dissatisfaction over the verdict and said all the 16 convicts would challenge the lower court verdict that awarded them the death penalty. He also said that they would file an appeal with the High Court within seven days against the lower court verdict. “The verdict is unfortunate, undesired and unexpected. We hope the High Court will acquit all the convicts,” he noted.

Terming the verdict as a milestone, attorney general Mahbubey Alam said his office would take steps for a quick hearing on the appeal and death references by the High Court bench concerned. The chief law officer of the state said he was happy that the lower court had delivered the verdict within a short time. “If all trial proceedings, especially in killing cases, are completed within a short time like this one, families of victims would get justice and offenders would fear the consequences of their misdeeds,” he added.

Following the verdict, it has been proved that no one can escape justice after committing crimes, he noted. Road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader has expressed satisfaction over the swift announcement of the verdict.  “I express satisfaction over the verdict,” he said while talking to reporters at the Secretariat.

On May 29, the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) began investigating the case and submitted a charge-sheet, seeking the death penalty for prime accused Siraj and 15 others.

According to the PBI report, 16 people, split into five groups, took part in the brutal killing of Nusrat after hatching the murder plot for three days. The mastermind, madrasa principal Siraj, gave instructions from jail while his accomplices, including two local Awami League leaders and several madrasa students, executed the plot on April 6. While in jail, Siraj asked them to increase pressure on Nusrat and her family to withdraw the case, and if necessary, kill her by setting her on fire, said the PBI report.

On the day of the attack, Nusrat was called to the roof of the school, where five others bound her hands and feet with a scarf and set her ablaze, the police said.  The killers had planned to pass off the murder as a suicide, but Nusrat managed to run downstairs after the flames burned through the scarf binding her limbs.

Her death sparked protests across Bangladesh, prompting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to promise speedy action in the case. The trial began on June 10 when the case was moved to a Feni court. On June 20, 16 people, including Siraj-ud-Daula, were indicted by the court. The judgment procedure began by examining Noman in the court on June 27 and 30. The tribunal heard testimonies of 87 out of a total of 92 witnesses.

Appeal of death-row convicts

Meanwhile, a court yesterday granted just seven days to the 16 convicted in the sensational murder case to file any appeal against the ruling.

After the announcement of the verdict, Gias Uddin Nannu, lawyer of the accused, informed that they will file their petition with the High Court within a week.