Ex-OC Moazzem’s exclusion in Nusrat murder charge-sheet disappoints plaintiff’s lawyer

The Police Bureau of Investigation has charged in court 16 people over the killing of Feni madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi.

The exclusion of former Sonagazi Police Station OC Moazzem Hossain on the list of accused in the charge-sheet has disappointed M Shahjahan Saju, the lawyer for the plaintiff.

“OC Moazzem conducted propaganda to establish that it was a suicide, not murder. But he has not been accused (in the murder case),” Saju said after PBI Inspector Md Shah Alam submitted the charge-sheet to a court on Wednesday.

Feni Senior Judicial Magistrate’s Court is scheduled to hold hearings on the charge-sheet on Thursday, according to the lawyer.

“We will ask the PBI why Moazzem has not been accused in the case during the hearing on the charge-sheet,” Saju said.      

The lawyer said he would consult the plaintiff, Nusrat’s brother Mahmudul Hassan Noman, over the filing of a petition objecting to the exclusion of Moazzem in the charge-sheet.

Moazzem Hossain

A cyber tribunal on Monday ordered arrest of Moazzem in another case over recording and circulating a video statement of Nusrat.

The PBI said it ‘found evidence’ against Moazzem that he had filmed Nusraty’s statement with his mobile phone and released the video on social media.

Noman said he would decide the next move after going over the charge-sheet.

“I think OC Moazzem should have been accused in this case for presenting it as suicide after murdering my sister in a planned way,” he said.

Nusrat’s mother Shirin Akter demanded maximum punishment for all the accused, who face up to death penalty if found guilty.   

The people named in the charge-sheet are principal SM Siraj-ud-Daula, Nur Uddin, Zobair Hossain, Shakhawat Hossain Jabed, Absar Uddin, Abdur Rahim Sharif, Iftekhar Uddin Rana, Ruhul Amin, Umme Sultana Poppy, Kamrun Nahar Moni, Maksud Alam, Hafez Abdul Kader, Imran Hossain, Mohiuddin Shakil, Mohammad Shamim, and Shahadat Hossain Shamim.      

Siraj has been named as the prime accused and charged with ordering the fatal arson attack on Nusrat at the Sonagazi Islamia Fazil (Degree) Madrashah, PBI Inspector Alam said.

The principal was in jail at the time of the attack in a case for alleged sexual abuse of Nusrat.

Siraj’s followers Shamim, Zobair, Moni, Poppy and Jabed set Nusrat on fire on the roof top of the madrasa when she refused to withdraw the sexual abuse charges against Siraj on Apr 6, police had said earlier citing their confessional statements given to the court. She lost the battle for her life five days after the attack.

Nur Uddin met Siraj in jail on Apr 4 and plotted the arson attack with the others the following day, according to police.

Shamim, a senior student of the madrasa, got involved in the attack because Nusrat had earlier refused his proposal for a relationship, police said.

Local Awami League leaders Ruhul Amin and Maksud Alam helped with money to carry out the attack, PBI Special SP Mohammad Iqbal told bdnews24.com citing the charges on Wednesday.

The charges under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act include burning Nusrat to death, taking part in the murder plan, and abetting the killing.

“All the charges have been proved. We have sought death as the maximum penalty,” Iqbal said.