All the 16 convicts will challenge their death penalty awarded by a Feni court in Nusrat murder case.

“We will file appeals within seven days,” defence lawyer Giasuddin Nannu told our Brahmanbaria correspondent.

The judgement is “unfortunate, undesired and unexpected”, Giasuddin said.

“We expect that the High Court will acquit all the convicts in the case,” he added.  

THE JUDGEMENT

All 16 accused including sacked madrasa principal Siraj Ud Doula and Awami League leader Ruhul Amin were awarded death penalty for killing Feni madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi.

The condemned convicts are: former madrasa principal Siraj, former vice-president of the madrasa governing body and Sonagazi upazila Awami League president Ruhul Amin, former member of the governing body and acting general secretary of Sonagazi municipality unit AL Maksudul Alam, madrasa teachers Abdul Kader, and Afsar Uddin, madrasa students Saifur Rahman Mohammad Zubayer, Javed Hossain alias Shakhawat Hossain,  Kamrunnahar Moni, Umme Sultana Poppy, Abdur Rahim Sharif, Iftekhar Uddin Rana, Imran Hossain Mamun, Mohiuddin Shakil, Mohammad Shamim, Nuruddin, and Shahadat Hossain Shamim. Maksudul is also a councillor of Sonagazi municipality.

HOW WAS NUSRAT KILLED?

Nusrat, an Alim examinee of Sonagazi Senior Fazil Madrasa, was sexually harassed by madrasa principal (now sacked) Siraj Ud Doula on March 27. After the incident, her mother filed a case against Siraj, who was later arrested and sent to jail.

Since the arrest, the principal’s associates were threatening Nusrat’s family to withdraw the case. But the family did not do so.

On April 6, Nusrat was set on fire when she went to the madrasa to sit for an exam in the madrasa building.

Around 80 percent of her body was burnt. After fighting for her life for five days, Nusrat died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on April 10, which triggered a huge public outcry across the country.