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Published : 13 May 2025, 01:01 PM
A tribunal has fixed May 17 for the verdict in the much discussed case over the rape and murder of an 8-year-old child in Magura.
Judge M Zahid Hasan of the Magura Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal set the date on Tuesday, according to Public Prosecutor Monirul Islam Mukul.
The suspects in the case are Hitu Sheikh, Sojib Sheikh, Ratul Sheikh, and Rokeya Begum. Hitu is the father-in-law of the child's sister, Rokeya is his wife, and Sojib and Ratul are their sons. They were brought to court under heavy security ahead of the hearing.
According to court sources, the charges against Hitu were brought under Section 9/2 of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act (crime of death from rape), against Sojib and Ratul under Section 506 of the Penal Code (intimidation), and against Rokeya under Section 201 of the Penal Code (destruction of evidence of a crime).
A child from Sreepur Upazila came to visit her elder sister's house in Nijnanduali village in Magura suburb on Mar 1. There, she was raped on Mar 6. She was first taken to the Magura 250-bed Hospital and later to Faridpur Medical College Hospital in Dhaka for advanced treatment.
The child died at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka on Mar 13.
On Mar 8, the victim’s mother filed a case with Magura Sadar police, naming the four suspects.
Case investigation officer and Inspector (Investigation) Md Alauddin of Magura Sadar Police Station submitted the chargesheet to the court on Apr 13.
The trial subsequently opened on Apr 23 after the tribunal indicted the four suspects in the case.
PP Mukul said that on the eighth day of hearings, the accused were identified and their testimonies were heard.
The final arguments in the case began on Monday and continued into a second day on Tuesday.After they concluded, the judge set May 17 for the verdict.
The testimonies of 29 witnesses were heard by the court during the trial.
