Principal Siraj confesses to giving order from jail

Sonagazi Islamia Fazil Madrassah principal Siraj-ud-Doula on Sunday gave confessional statement before a court in Feni admitting that he gave order to kill Nusrat Jahan Rafi by setting her on fire for lodging a case of sexual harassment against him, said Police Bureau of Investigation officials.
The PBI officials also said that they had specifically identified 16 people in connection with the murder of the 18-year-old student Nusrat Jahan Rafi who went to the madrassah to sit for her Arabic first part examination in the ongoing Alim examination, adding that they hoped to submit the charge sheet in the case within May.
Deputy minister for education Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury on Sunday approved the suspension of the monthly payment order of Sonagazi Islamia Fazil Madrassah principal Siraj-ud-Doula, Nusrat’s abuser, and his close associate and English department lecturer Afsar Uddin.
Both teachers are now behind bars and accused in the murder case, ministry officials said. 
Nusrat’s abuser Siraj was produced before the court of Feni senior judicial magistrate Zakir Hossain around 3:30pm and the court recorded his statement until 8:30pm.
Immediately after completion of recording his statement, PBI Chittagong zone special superintendent of police Md Iqbal told reporters at the court premises that Siraj confessed to his crime and said that he himself ordered Nur Uddin an Shahadot Hossain Shamim to force Nusrat to withdraw the case of sexual harassment filed by Nusrat’s mother against him.
The principal also ordered his two associates to kill Nusrat by setting fire to her if she refused to withdraw the case and also to frame the incident as a case of suicide following the killing, the PBI official said. 
As per orders from Siraj, Shahadot and Nur Uddin, along with their accomplices, exerted pressure on Nusrat to withdraw the case and she was set ablaze after pouring kerosene all over her body as she denied withdrawing the case.
Shahadot and Nur Uddin are now detained in the case and they had earlier gave confessional statements before the court describing in details their roles in the murder.
With Siraj, a total of nine people, including all five who allegedly took part in setting the victim afire, have so far gave confessional statement in killing Nusrat. 
In total, 21 people were arrested in the case.
Nusrat was sexually harassed by principal Siraj in his office room on May 27 and he was arrested after on the following day as her mother lodged a case against him in this connection.
Nusrat was set ablaze on April 6 as she refused to withdraw her complaint against him. On April 10, Nusrat died while on life support at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital burn unit.
Before her death, Nusrat in her statement recorded by a doctor, said that her assailants, wearing burqas, veils and gloves, first asked her to withdraw the case against Siraj and, as she denied, tied her hands and legs, poured kerosene and set fire to her.
The PBI officials, referring to confessional statements of different accused in the case, said that five youths including Shamim, Nuruddin and Nusrat’s two female classmates took part in the killing.
Prior to setting fire to her, one of the female assailants took her to the roof of the Cyclone Shelter in the madrassah premises under the false pretence that one of her female friends was being thrashed there. 
Talking to reporters at his Dhanmondi office in Dhaka around noon, PBI chief Banaj Kumar Majumder said that they had already arrested all 16 people whom they had specifically identified to be involved in the crime.
He said that they had brought Siraj to the PBI headquarters in Dhaka and interrogated him in their custody.
Banaj said that his investigation team now knew the specific roles of the people involved in the murder and that they would come to a decision within the next month. 
They are preparing to submit all relevant documents to the court to prove their guilt, he said.
The PBI chief, however, said that they would need more time for submitting report on the case against the then Sonagazi police station officer-in-charge Muazzem Hossain for capturing a video of Nusrat’s interrogation and publishing it on Youtube.
The former OC interrogated Nusrat after her mother lodged a case with Sonagazi police station alleging that her daughter was sexually harassed by principal Siraj while he also made indecent comments. 
Banaj said that they had recorded statement of the OC and now needed to conduct some forensic and digital works. 
New Age correspondent in Feni reported that PBI officials in the district said that they produced principal Siraj before a court in Feni in the afternoon. 
 

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net