3 boys sentenced to jail for gangrape of July Uprising martyr’s daughter in Patuakhali

Two of them get 13 years in prison, while the third is jailed for 10 years

A Patuakhali tribunal has sentenced two boys to 13 years in prison and a third to 10 years in jail in a case over the gangrape of the daughter of July Uprising martyr Jashim Uddin Howlader.

All of the convicts are minors. Under the Children Act, 13 years is the maximum prison sentence for an offence.

Patuakhali Women and Children Repression Tribunal Judge Nilufer Shirin delivered the verdict on Wednesday.

All three received sentences of 10 years in jail on the charge of rape of a minor. Two of them then received an additional three years in prison under the Pornography Act.

Jashim was injured when police opened fire in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur on Jul 19 and died 10 days later while undergoing treatment.

According to court sources, on the evening of Mar 18, 2025, his daughter, a minor girl, was gangraped on her way to her maternal grandmother's house in Patuakhali’s Dumki Upazila. After the incident, she herself filed a case against three suspects with the Dumki Police Station.

On Apr 26, unable to bear her mental trauma over the incident, the plaintiff died by suicide in a rented house in Dhaka’s Shekhertek. Her body was brought back to her village and buried next to the grave of her martyred father.

After an investigation, the police filed a chargesheet against the three convicts on May 1.

Following the testimony of 16 witnesses, cross-examinations, and final arguments, the verdict was announced on Wednesday.

After the verdict, Public Prosecutor (PP) Abdullah Al Noman said: "We have been able to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. The justice that the court has granted will bring some comfort and peace to [the plaintiff’s] soul."

District BNP General Secretary and District Judge's Court lawyer Mujibur Rahman Toton said, "The verdict in this case is a message for society. If someone commits a crime, they must be punished, no matter how influential they are."

Reacting to the verdict, defence lawyers Md Shahidul Islam Talukder and Gazi Al Mamun maintained their clients' innocence. "We are not satisfied with the verdict. We will appeal to the High Court after receiving a copy of the verdict."

After the verdict, members of the general public, women's rights activists and members of human rights organisations present at the court premises expressed their satisfaction and gratitude to the court.