Pallabi child rape and murder: Trial of Sohel Rana and wife begins
A court has framed charges against the prime suspect, Sohel Rana, and his wife, Swapna Akter, over the brutal rape and murder of an eight-year-old child in the capital’s Pallabi area. This marks the formal commencement of the trial. The court has scheduled the recording of witness testimonies for tomorrow, Tuesday, at 10:30 am.
Judge Masrur Salekin of the Dhaka Children Violence Suppression Tribunal passed the order today, Monday, following a hearing on the framing of charges. Omar Faruq Faruqi, public prosecutor of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court, confirmed the developments.
The hearing for the framing of charges took place before that. During the hearing, the state counsel informed the court that, according to the charge sheet, the accused Sohel Rana had brutally raped and murdered the child. In an attempt to destroy the evidence, the child’s body was dismembered. His wife is accused of assisting him in these crimes.
When the judge subsequently questioned the accused regarding the allegations, Sohel Rana pleaded his innocence. "I did not kill her. I did not rape her. My wife is also innocent," he told the court. Sohel Rana claimed instead that an individual named 'Dollar' had raped the child. When asked about this person’s identity, he said Dollar lives in Mirpur and is a wealthy man.
However, the court-appointed defence lawyer, Musa Kalimullah, told reporters, "The defendants mentioned nothing about 'Dollar' to me. They simply maintained that they are innocent." Regarding the individual named Dollar, Kalimullah added, "There is no mention of a 'Dollar' in the police report. The defendants never spoke of him to me either."
Following the hearing, Special Public Prosecutor (PP) Azizur Rahman Dulu told journalists, "I will perform my duties to ensure this case is concluded swiftly. The rest is for the Tribunal to decide."
Earlier, the accused were brought to the court premises in a prison van at approximately 7:45 am. Under heavy police escort, Sohel Rana was produced in court shortly before 11:00 am, followed by his wife, Swapna, at 11:06 am.
The charge sheet states that evidence has been found supporting the allegations of rape and murder against Sohel Rana, and the charge of abetting the crimes against Swapna Akter. Eighteen witnesses have been named in this high-profile case.
On 19 May, at around 11:30 am, the child’s dismembered remains were recovered from a second-floor flat in Pallabi. Sohel Rana, a resident of the flat, fled by breaking the window grille of the toilet following the incident. While his wife was detained at the scene, Sohel Rana was arrested later that evening in Fatullah, Narayanganj.
The day after the incident, the child's father filed a case at Pallabi Police Station. That afternoon, Sohel Rana gave a confessional statement before Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Aminul Islam Junaid. Police stated at the time that he had admitted to the rape and murder of the child.
The horrific murder has drawn widespread condemnation and outrage from people across all walks of life, as well as various political parties and organisations.
Note: In accordance with the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and Prothom Alo policy, the identity of the child has been withheld from this report.