Feni girl burnt in reprisal after sexual abuse charges against principal

A female student of a madrasa has been burnt allegedly by some of her peers after she refused to withdraw sexual abuse charges against the principal in Feni’s Sonagazi.

The severely burnt girl, Nusrat Jahan Rafi, 18, is undergoing treatment at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Police detained a teacher and a student for questioning over the incident at Sonagazi Islamia Senior Fazil Madrasa on Saturday morning, Sonagazi Police Station Inspector Md Kamal Hossain told bdnews24.com.

A female student of a madrasa in Feni was admitted to the DMCH’s burn unit on Saturday after she was set on fire in reprisal following sexual abuse charges against the principal. Photo: Mahmud Zaman Ovi

Police had already arrested Principal Siraj-ud-Daula after Nusrat’s mother filed the case against him over the alleged incident of sexual abuse on Mar 27, Rafi’s brother Mahmudul Hasan Noman told the media.

The followers of Siraj threatened the family to withdraw the case, Noman alleged. 

Nusrat, daughter of AKM Musa from Charchandia village under Sonagazi Municipality, went to the madrasa on Saturday morning to sit for Alim exams, equivalent to HSC.

“Some students called her to the roof and threatened her to withdraw the case. They set fire to her after pouring kerosene on her when she refused to withdraw the case,” he said.

Relatives of a female student of a madrasa in Feni cry at the DMCH on Saturday. She was set on fire in reprisal after she brought sexual abuse charges against the principal. Photo: Mahmud Zaman Ovi

Police and others rescued her after hearing her cry and took her to Sonagazi Upazila Healt complex from where she was shifted to the Feni General Hospital. 

Nusrat suffered an 80 percent burn on her body, according to Abu Taher Bhuiyan, a physician at the Feni hospital.

She was later sent to Dhaka for better treatment, the doctor said.