The trial of the much-talked child rape and murder case in Magura concluded just 21 days after formal charges were framed. The court has scheduled the verdict to be announced on Saturday.
The information was shared on Tuesday by Monirul Islam Mukul, the public prosecutor of the Magura Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal, following the conclusion of final arguments.
According to court sources, final arguments resumed for a second day at around 10:30 AM in the tribunal of Judge M Jahid Hasan. Both prosecution and defense lawyers participated in the session, with all four accused present in court.
Consering the public sensitivity of the case, the Home Ministry had appointed Ehsanul Haque Samaji, a senior lawyer with the rank of Attorney General, as special public prosecutor. He also took part in Tuesday’s hearing.
“The accused have been proven guilty based on their confessional statements under Section 164, medical evidence, and witness testimonies. We expect the maximum punishment. This verdict should serve as a strong deterrent against such crimes,” Ehsanul Haque Samaji told reporters following the hearing.
Prosecutor Monirul Islam stated that the prosecution presented 29 witnesses during the trial. The court also recorded the accused`s statements under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Witness testimonies began on April 27 and continued daily (except holidays), with the accused present in court. Charges included:
Rape and murder (Section 9/2 of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act) against the child’s sister’s father-in-law,
Criminal intimidation (Section 506, second part of the Penal Code) against her husband and brother-in-law,
Evidence tampering (Section 201 of the Penal Code) against her mother-in-law.
Earlier, on April 13, Magura Sadar Police Inspector (Investigation) Md. Alauddin, who led the investigation, submitted the charge sheet. The case was transferred from the Chief Judicial Magistrate`s Court to the Tribunal on April 17, and charges were officially accepted on April 20. The trial formally began on April 23 with charge framing.
Before that, on March 15, the child’s sister’s father-in-law gave a confessional statement under Section 164 before Senior Judicial Magistrate Sabyasachi Roy, admitting that on March 6, he attempted to rape and murder the child after finding her alone in the room of his younger son (the child’s sister’s husband).
The victim had been visiting her sister’s in-laws. On March 6 at around 11:30 AM, she was taken unconscious to Magura 250-Bed General Hospital. She passed away on March 13 at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka. The child’s mother had filed a case under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act on March 8, accusing the in-laws of rape and attempted murder.
