Nusrat murder suspects ‘threaten to kill’ her brother in court

Slain madrasa girl Nusrat Jahan Rafi’s brother has said the murder suspects are threatening him with death in court.

“The accused threatened to kill me in court. I feel insecure. They are threatening after attacking my family,” Abdullah Al Noman, who started the case, told the media on Thursday.

All 21 arrestees, including the 16 charged by the Police Bureau of Investigation or PBI, were produced in the Feni Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court for hearing on the charges earlier in the day.

Rafiqul Islam Khokon, a lawyer for plaintiff Noman, alleged some of the accused hurled abuses at his client and his lawyers.

“Some of them tried to attack and threatened to kill us. The judge ordered police to strengthen security when we informed the court of the incident. PBI personnel later brought the situation under control,” Khokon said.

Judge Md Zakir Hossain of a court that takes cognisance of charges ordered transfer of the case to Feni’s Women and Children Repression Prevention Special Tribunal and set June 10 for next hearing.

Feni Acting Superintendent of Police Md Moniruzzaman said he heard that immediate measures were taken after the accused created a hullabaloo in the court.

“But there is no fear over security,” Moniruzzaman said, adding police have been providing Nusrat’s family with security since the 18-year-old was set on fire at her madrasa in Sonagazi Upazila.

“Nusrat’s family are public properties now. The people along with police will ensure their security. The prime minister (Sheikh Hasina) herself supervised it,” the acting SP said.

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.   

Police recommended acquittal of the five other arrestees in the charge-sheet.

Former Sonagazi Police Station OC Moazzem Hossain is facing arrest in another case on charges of recoding a video statement of Nusrat and circulating it on social media, but he has not been named in the murder case.

Nusrat, 18, was set on fire on the roof top of the madrasa by Siraj’s followers when she refused to withdraw sexual harassment charges against him. She died in hospital five days later.