Another accused in Nusrat murder arrested

Another accused in the Feni madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi murder case, Shahadat Hossain alias Shamim, was arrested from Mymensingh in the small hours of Saturday, police said.

A team of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) arrested Shahadat Hossain from Muktagacha upazila in the district around 12:45am, a PBI source confirmed.

Earlier on Friday morning, the police arrested one of the main accused in the murder case Nur Uddin from Amtali area of Bhaluka in Mymensingh.

Nur Uddin and Shahdat Hossain were allegedly involved in the murder of Nusrat Jahan Rafi, the Sonagazi Islamia Fazil Madrasa student who was set on fire on 6 April.

The two accused were loyal to Siraj Ud Doula, principal of the madrasa, who allegedly sexually harassed Nusrat.

“A PBI team arrested Nur Uddin from the house of a certain Akbar in the area.” said a witness Shafiqul Islam.

On Thursday night, a PBI team arrested Sonagazi municipality unit Awami League acting general secretary Maksud, an accused in the murder case, from Fakirapool area in the capital.

Maksud, also a councillor of ward no. 4 of the municipality, is a member of the governing body of the madrasa.

As of Saturday morning, 12 people have been arrested in a case filed against eight identified people, including madrasa principal Siraj Ud Doula, lecturer of English Absar Uddin, Feni municipality councillor Maksudul Alam Maksud, and four unidentified ones.

The case was transferred to the PBI on 10 April.

PBI chief Banaj Kumar Majumder told Prothom Alo, “The PBI continues its drives to arrest all of the accused.”

The government suspended the MPO (Monthly Payment Order) benefit of principal Siraj Ud Doula and lecturer of English Absar Uddin. As a result they will not get the government’s payment of their salaries and other allowances.

On 6 April, Rafi was set afire at a centre of Alim examination allegedly by students loyal to principal Siraj Ud Doula of Sonagazi Senior Fazil Madrasa after he was arrested and subsequently suspended as Rafi had accused him of sexually harassing her.

Critically injured Nusrat was immediately taken to the DMCH for better treatment where she underwent a surgery under life support on 9 April.

The operation conducted after discussion with the physicians from Singapore General Hospital as she was not fit enough to be flown to Singapore.

Nusrat, however, succumbed to her injuries around 9:30pm on 10 April.

In a declaration on 8 April, Rafi told her doctors that four students wearing burqas set her on fire. She identified one of them as Shampa.