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Published : 14 Mar 2025, 01:09 PM
The eight-year-old girl who was raped and later died of her injuries in an attack in Magura has been laid to rest. The courtyard she once ran around in and the house she filled with an endless stream of words now stands silent. The air is heavy with grief.
The family, who live in Zaria village in Magura’s Sreepur Upazila, has been in deep mourning since her death. A mother’s heart-wrenching cries tear through the air. The entire village is shocked dumb by the painful way in which the child departed this world.
A visit to the family’s house on Friday found the victim’s mother beating her chest as she cried out. She could not be consoled or calmed. The tears ran down her face endlessly.
Her only demand in her grief was that the rapists be hanged. The girl’s father – who has a disability – stood speechless. Other members of the family were also seen in tears.
Panna Khatun, chairman of the local Sabdalpur Union council, said that she was with the family and promised to provide them with all kinds of support.
The child was raped on Mar 6 while visiting her sister's house in Nijnanduali village in Magura suburb, according to her family. The news sparked outrage across Bangladesh.
The child’s mother filed a rape and attempt-to-murder case against four people at Magura Sadar Police Station on Mar 8. The accused are the child's brother-in-law Sojib Hossain, 18, his father Hitu Mia, 42, a minor teenager, 17, and their mother Jabeda Begum, 40. All the suspects are currently in jail.
The case documents say that Hitu ‘raped’ the child with help from Sojib and Jabeda. The teenage boy allegedly knew about it. An attempt was made to kill the child to cover up the incident.
The child’s sister has since called for the hanging of the perpetrators as well.
As the child’s condition deteriorated after the attack, she was taken to Faridpur Medical College Hospital.
She was then sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital's paediatric intensive care unit for further treatment and was later put on a ventilator on Friday night.
On Saturday, doctors at Dhaka Medical College declared the child's condition to be "critical". Following that, a medical board was set up to oversee her treatment, but she was moved to Dhaka’s CMH in the evening.
On Thursday afternoon, the Inter-Services Public Relations announced that she had died while undergoing treatment.
Ayub Ali, chief of Magura Sadar Police Station, said: "The girl's mother has filed a case in connection with her death. The court has remanded Hitu for seven days and remanded the others for five days. Their interrogation is underway."
