Staff Reporter :
Feni burn victim Nusrat Jahan Rafi lost the battle for life at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on Wednesday night.
She breathed her last at the DMCH’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at 9.30pm, confirmed Dr Samanta Lal Sen, Co-coordinator of Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery at DMCH.
The Feni madrasa girl with ‘third degree’ burns admitted to the burn unit of DMCH on April 6.
She fought for survival there for the last five days.
Physicians at the DMCH on Tuesday performed a surgery on the Feni madrasa girl keeping her on life support, in a last effort to her survival.
DMCH authorities earlier formed a nine-member medical board for treatment of the 18 year-old girl who was set on fire by unknown assailants for allegedly refusing to withdraw a case filed against the principal of Sonagazi Islamia Senior Fazil Madrasa, for sexually harassing her late last month.
“We put our best effort to help the girl survive. Even, we completed all preparation to send her Singapore for better treatment. But, all the efforts failed as she lost the battle for life,” said Dr Samanta Lal Sen with a note of sorrow.
Meanwhile, the Officer-in-Charge of Sonagazi Police Station Muazzem Hossain was withdrawn on Wednesday, said Md Sohel Rana, Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police Headquarters (PR).
He has been attached to the Armed Police Battalion (APBN), says Feni Police Superintendent S M Jahangir Sarker.
He was withdrawn after getting the victim family’s allegation that they are not getting proper cooperation from him.
At the same time, the case was which filed on the charge of setting the madrasa girl ablaze has been handed over to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).
A court on Wednesday placed Sonagazi Islamia Senior Fazil Madrasa Principal Sirajuddoula on a 7-day remand and two other people on five-day remand each in a case filed over the arson attack on a female student.
The other accused put on remand are Absar Uddin, Lecturer of English Department of the madrasa, and student Arif.
Feni Senior Judicial Magistrate Saraf Uddin Ahmed passed the order after police produced the three accused
in the court seeking a seven-day remand.
On Tuesday, a court in Feni placed four people-Nur Hossain, Kefayet Ullah, MdA lauddin and Shahidul Islam-on a five-day remand after their arrest in a case filed over the incident.
The case was filed accusing eight identified people, including madrasa principal Sirajuddoula, lecturer of English Absar Uddin, Feni municipality councilor Maksudul Alam Maksud, and four unidentified ones.
On Saturday, Nusrat Jahan Rafi was set afire allegedly by students hired by Principal Sirajuddoula after he was arrested and subsequently suspended as Rafi had accused him of sexually harassing her.
The madrasa was declared closed until April 17 after the incident grabbed the headlines and sparked outrage across Bangladesh.
The victim who suffered 80 percent burns has been kept under life support at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
