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The child died around 1pm on Thursday, according to a statement from ISPR
Published : 13 Mar 2025, 01:55 PM
The 8-year-old child who was allegedly raped in an attack in Magura has died while undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka.
She breathed her last at 1pm, the Inter-Services Public Relations, or ISPR, informed in a press release on Thursday.
“Despite the application of the latest medical equipment at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) and the best efforts of expert doctors, it was not possible to save her,” the statement said. “The child suffered cardiac arrest thrice this morning. She was stabilised twice, but the third time her heart did not resuscitate.”
The child was admitted to the CMH in critical condition on Mar 8, the statement said.
The Bangladesh Army expressed its deep condolences to the bereaved family of the child, pledged to stand by them for any of their needs, and prayed for the forgiveness of the departed soul of the child.
Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has also expressed his deep condolences over the incident and has instructed that the perpetrators be swiftly brought to justice.
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.
On Saturday, doctors at Dhaka Medical College declared the child's condition to be "critical". Following that, a medical board was set up to oversee her treatment, but she was moved to Dhaka’s CMH in the evening.
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.
In a message on Thursday, the Chief Advisor’s Office had called the child’s condition “very critical”.
“She suffered two more cardiac arrests today. The second time, after about 30 minutes of CPR, the heartbeat returned, but her brain was not responding. The coma scale (GCS) is only 3, indicating a state of deep unconsciousness. The child's blood pressure and oxygen levels are also dangerously low."
A few hours later, the ISPR announced her death.
