Home
+
Published : 13 Mar 2025, 05:36 PM
Law Advisor Asif Nazrul has said the trial in the case over a child’s “rape” in Magura will begin in seven to eight days.
He called an emergency briefing at the Secretariat to make the announcement on Thursday.
The child died while undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital, or CMH, in Dhaka around 1pm Thursday, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations.
“The autopsy will be done today, and it includes a process involving a DNA report. We’re hoping to acquire that over the next five days as we’re done collecting samples for DNA analysis,” Asif said.
“We’ve already received 12/13 statements under Section 164 [of The Code of Criminal Procedure]. We’re hoping to begin trial proceedings in seven days.
"You know, there are precedents for rape cases where the trial process started and finished quickly, inside seven to eight days, through continuous hearings."
“If we can start the proceedings in seven days, Inshallah, our judges will be able to ensure justice as soon as possible. This case has so many circumstantial witnesses, we’ll get [results] from DNA tests and we’ll also get the autopsy report, so we’re hoping for justice in the fastest possible time.”
The child was admitted to the CMH in critical condition on Mar 8, the statement said.
The family alleged that the child was raped on Mar 6 while visiting her sister's house in Magura. She was first taken to Magura Sadar Hospital. As her condition deteriorated, she was taken to Faridpur Medical College Hospital.
She was then sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital's paediatric intensive care unit for further treatment and was later put on a ventilator on Friday night.
News of the incident sparked nationwide condemnation. Amid a surge in rape reports nationwide, people have been protesting across the country demanding capital punishment for rapists.
On Saturday, the child’s mother filed a rape and attempt-to-murder case against four people at Magura Sadar Police Station.
The accused are the child's brother-in-law Sojib Hossain, 18, his father Hitu Mia, 42, a minor teenager, 17, and their mother Jabeda Begum, 40. All the perpetrators are currently in jail.
The case documents say that Hitu “raped” the child with help from Sojib and Jabeda and her younger son knew about it. An attempt was made to kill the child to cover up the incident.
The law advisor said: “Rape is a crime at a personal level. We want to make sure that there’s not a shred of negligence in [ensuring justice].”
“You’ve seen that the perpetrators were arrested immediately. The next day DNA samples were collected. After receiving the tragic news today, the doctors decided to go to CMH themselves to save time and conduct the autopsy as soon as possible. Our hearts are heavy with sorrow,” he added.
‘SPECIAL TRIBUNAL’ FOR CHILD RAPE
Asif said: “The initial draft of a new law is underway. You know, we have to consult with stakeholders.”
“We’re hoping to formulate the law by Sunday, or Monday at the latest. We’ve told you about the provisions in the new law… we just want to add that we’re going to assemble a special tribunal to ensure justice for incidents involving the rape and molestation of children,” he added.
“The new law will have the provision of forming a special tribunal… so that the state can completely focus on that.”
Asif advised the media to stay vigilant against “those causing anarchy” over the issue.
“We’ll not tolerate any chaos over this. If we make mistakes, tell us. We’ll definitely respond and ensure accountability. We want to assure you that we’ve not made any mistakes yet and, Inshaallah, we’ll try to correct our mistakes if we make them in the future.”
