Risha’s killer gets death penalty
A Dhaka court yesterday sentenced to death Obaidul Khan, the lone accused in the class-VIII student Suraiya Akhter Risha murder case.
The 14-year-old girl was stabbed to death on a footbridge close to her school, Willes Little Flower School, in the capital’s Kakrail by her stalker Obaidul in 2016.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Judge KM Emrul Kayesh of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court of Dhaka delivered the verdict in presence of the convict.
Obaidul, a tailor by profession, has also been fined Tk 50,000.
The judge observed that it was a planned and cold-blooded murder. The accused was given the highest punishment so that nobody dares to commit such an offence in future, he added.
Before the delivery of the judgment, a group of students of the school and guardians gathered on the court premises with placards and formed a human chain, demanding justice for Risha.
They expressed their satisfaction over the verdict.
Risha’s mother Tania Hossain was present in the court and expressed her satisfaction over the judgment. She also broke down in tears and urged the government to execute the verdict immediately.
After cross-examining all 22 prosecution witnesses, the judge handed down the sentence in a packed courtroom.
HOW RISHA WAS KILLED
Obaidul, who was then 28, killed Risha as she refused his love.
Before committing the offence, he bought a knife from Hatirpool Bazar and he used it to stab the victim.
Three people, including a student of the same school, saw Obaidul stabbing Risha and fleeing the scene. They tried to catch him but could not, says the judgment.
Risha lost her battle for life at the ICU of Dhaka Medical College Hospital four days after she was attacked.
Her mother Tania Hossain filed a case against Obaidul with Ramna Police Station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.
The death of Risha, eldest child of Ramzan Hossain and Tania Hossain, sparked protests across the capital. Students of the institution held rallies blocking the road and demanded exemplary punishment of the killer.
Obaidul was arrested in Nilphamari with the help of locals a week after the incident. Obaidul, of Dinajpur’s Miradangi village, used to work at a tailor’s shop on Elephant Road.
On September 5, 2016, he gave his confessional statement before a magistrate. He said he stabbed the girl with an intention to kill her. As she refused his love, he planned to kill her.
On November 14 that year, Ali Hossain, inspector of Ramna Police Station, submitted the charge sheet against Obaidul.
The court framed the charge against the accused on April 17, 2017.
Additional Public Prosecutor Tapash Kumar Pal appeared for the state while Faruque Ahmed defended the accused.
Comments