Sonagazi OC withdrawn as victim's ‘family cannot trust him’

A Feni court on Wednesday placed Sonagazi Islamia Senior Fazil Madrasa principal Siraj Ud Doula on a 7-day remand and two other people on 5-day remand each in a case filed for setting fire to a female student of the madrasa.

The other accused put on remand are Abser Uddin, lecturer of English department of the madrasa and student Arif.

Feni’s senior judicial magistrate Saraf Uddin Ahmed passed the order after the police produced the three accused before the court seeking a seven-day remand.

Meanwhile, Moazzem Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sonagazi Model police station, has been withdrawn, said Md Sohel Rana, assistant inspector general (AIG) of police headquarters (PR).

Later, he was attached to the Armed Police Battalion (APBn), said superintendent of Feni police SM Jahangir Sarker.

Sources at the police headquarters told Prothom Alo that the authorities decided to withdraw the OC taking the plaintiff’s no-confidence in Moazzem Hossain into cognisance.

Besides, the case filed for the incident of setting fire to the girl has been transferred to PBI (Police Bureau of Investigation) so that no local people can influence the investigations, the sources told Prothom Alo.

On Tuesday, a court in Feni placed four people -- Nur Hossain, Kefayet Ullah, Md Alauddin and Shahidul Islam -- on a five-day remand after their arrest in a case filed over the incident.

The case was filed accusing eight people, including madrasa principal Siraj Ud Doula, lecturer of English Absar Uddin, Feni municipality councillor Maksudul Alam Maksud, and four unidentified ones.

On Saturday, Nusrat Jahan Rafi was set afire allegedly by students loyal to principal Siraj Ud Doula after he was arrested and subsequently suspended as Rafi had accused him of sexually harassing her.

The madrasa was declared shut until 17 April after the incident grabbed the headlines and sparked outrage across Bangladesh.

The victim, who suffered 75 per cent burn injuries, has been kept on life support at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.