Nusrat murder: All of Feni waiting for justice
With the photo of their deceased daughter in hand, Nusrat’s parents still live in untold pain and agony
More than six months after the gruesome murder of Feni madrasa girl Nusrat Jahan Rafi, the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal is set to deliver verdict in the case tomorrow.
All the people in Nusrat's hometown Feni are waiting for justice.
Public prosecutor Advocate Hafez Ahmed told The Business Standard that they have demanded capital punishment for the offenders, and hope that the verdict will fulfil their expectations.
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Shirin Akter, the murdered girl's mother, told The Business Standard that death penalties for the murderers wouldn't be enough to ensure justice for her child.
"Implementing death penalties only cannot make me forget the pain. I want to see them succumb to death in the same way they killed my daughter; I want to see them suffer like Nusrat suffered in the burn unit of the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital," she said.
With the photo of their deceased daughter in hand, Nusrat's parents still live in untold pain and agony.
"Without Nusrat, every night is scary and unbearable. I couldn't sleep for even a single night after she was laid to rest. Many a time I went to her graveyard at midnight and my mind was overwhelmed with the pain of her loss," Nusrat's mother told The Business Standard.
"After six months of the murder I couldn't forget the heinous offence. How could they be so brutal?" Shirin cried.
Nusrat's father AKM Musa Manik said they want to see all the murderers hanged.
"The honourable prime minister did a lot for us. She observed all the procedures of the Nusrat murder case. Now, we are waiting to see the final verdict," he said.
Mohammad Hossain, incumbent principal of Sonagazi Islamia Fazil Madrasa, the institution where Nusrat was studying, echoed Nusrat's parents.
"We want exemplary punishment for Nusrat's murderers so that no one can think of committing such a crime again in the future," he said.
He also informed The Business Standard that after the brutal killing, the madrasa installed close circuit television (CCTV) cameras on campus.
"If we had installed CCTV cameras before, such a crime might never have happened," he added.
Meanwhile, Nusrat's brother Mahmudul Hasan Noman claimed that they were threatened several times during the trial.
"We have lost Nusrat, but the criminals are now threatening us," he said.
"The district police have given us security round the clock but we cannot feel secure; the heinous incident is always on our mind."
Noman added that sometimes a few unknown people called him and threatened him over the issue. "But we want to see that justice is done. And, we have faith in the administration," he noted.
Nusrat's classmates as well as her close friends Furty and Nishat said that Nusrat was a torch bearer to them.
"She was the first student to protest the then principal's transgressions. She had to die in a lot of pain for her bold stand," Furty told this correspondent.
Both Furty and Nishat said they want the culprits to get capital punishment.
"Only death sentences on the killers can give some solace to Nusrat's family for the agony they have been enduring since her death," she said.
Nusrat, a twelfth grader of Sonagazi Islamia Senior Fazil Madrasa, was brutally burned on April 6 for protesting sexual harassment by the then principal Siraz-ud Dowla. She eventually succumbed to injuries on April 10.
Nusrat's murder sparked nationwide outrage and a public demand for swift justice against the perpetrators.
Her family filed a case on May 27.
On May 29, the Police Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and submitted a charge-sheet seeking the death penalty for prime accused Sirajuddaula and 15 others.
On 30 May, senior judicial magistrate Jakir Hossain transferred the case to the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal.
The accused in the case are the then principal of the madrasa SM Sirajuddoula, Awami League leader Ruhul Amin, Shahadat Hossain Shamim, Nur Uddin, Imran Hossain Mamun, Hafez Abdul Quader, Iftekhar Uddin Rana, Councillor Maksud Alam alias Moksud, Kamrunnahar Moni, Saifur Rahman Mohammad Zobair, Javed, Umme Sultana Popy, Mohiuddin Shakil, Mohammad Shamim, Abdur Rahim Sharif and Absar Uddin.
Twelve of the accused have reportedly confessed to their involvement in the killing.
The trial for the case began on June 10 when the case moved to a Feni court. On June 20, sixteen people, including the madrasa principle Sirajuddaula, were indicted by the court.
The trial began by examining the case's complainant Noman on June 27, and June 30.
The tribunal heard testimonies of 87 witnesses out of 92.
The police say sixteen people, split into five groups, took part in the brutal killing of Nusrat Jahan Rafi after plotting the murder for three days.
The mastermind, Sonagazi Islamia Senior Fazil Madrasa principal Siraj Ud Doula gave instructions from jail while his accomplices, including two local Awami League leaders and several madrasa students, executed the plot on April 6.
Siraj plotted to murder Nusrat by setting her on fire because she refused to withdraw a case filed against him over sexual assault on her on March 27.
