Staff Reporter :
Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) on Saturday said a total of 13 people were involved in setting fire to Nusrat Jahan Rafi, a student of Sonagazi Islamia Fazil Madrasa.
Nusrat lost her battle for life at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Wednesday last, after five days of the arson attack on her.
“A total of 13 people, including two girls, were involved in setting fire to Nusrat. Till now, police have arrested seven people in connection with the incident,” Banaj Kumar Muzumder, Deputy Inspector General and Chief of PBI, said at a press conference held at PBI’s headquarters, in Dhanmondi on Saturday.
The arrested people are: Sonagazi Islamia Fazil (Degree) Madrasa Principal Md Sirajaddaula, 45, Nuruddin, 20, Sonagazi Senior Fazil Madrasa unit Chhatra League President Shahadat Hossain Shamim, 20, Sonagazi Municipality Councillor and Feni Awami League leader Moksud Alam, 45, Jobayer Ahmed, 20, Alim examinee and Nusrat’s batch mate, Jabed Hossain, 19, and English Department teacher Absar Uddin, 35.
“Police are on the hunt to arrest the rest of the perpetrators,” added Bonoj Kumar.
“Arson attack on Nusrat was pre-planned and five people masterminded it,” said the PBI Chief adding that Nuruddin, Shamim, Jabed, Hafez Abdul Kader, are among those who hatched the plan to set Nusrat ablaze on April 6.
He further said they made the plan after paying a visit to the Madrasa Principal Siraj Ud Dowla at the local jail on April 4.
Siraj Ud Dowla was in jail following Nusrat’s sexual
harassment case against him, filed on March 27.
Upon the instruction of Siraj Ud Dowla, Nuruddin, a prime accused in Nusrat’s murder case, arranged a meeting at the madrasa’s hostel around 9:00pm on April 5, he added.
In the meeting, Nuruddin, Shahadat Hossain Shamim, Javed Hossain and Hafez Abdul Kader took the decision to set Nusrat on fire the next day.
They were angry at Nusrat because the arrest of the madrasa principal was shaming the entire ‘Alim’ society, the PBI Chief said quoting the arrestees.
Along with that Shamim had proposed to Nusrat a few times earlier but she rejected, angering them further, the official said.
They shared their decision with five other people — two female students and three male students who agreed to work for them.
One of the female students was designated with the task of arranging three ‘Burkhas’ and kerosene, said Bonoj Kumar Majumder.
During this time, four people wearing ‘Burkhas’ entered the exam centre and took position inside a toilet on the rooftop of a cyclone shelter, adjacent to the madrasa.
Of them, one girl named either Chompa or Shompa, went to Nusrat and told that someone named Nishat was being beaten up on the rooftop, the PBI Chief said, adding rest of the three were males. All of them are students of Sonagazi Islamia Fazil Madrasa.
He further said that Nusrat immediately went to the rooftop where the perpetrators tied her hands with a scarf and set her on fire.
Meanwhile, five people including Nuruddin took position in front of the exam centre gate.
PBI arrested Shamim in Muktagacha upazila of Mymensingh on Saturday morning.
On Friday, police arrested Jabed and Nuruddin from Feni and Mymensingh.
“Among the two girls, one is currently in police custody,” the PBI chief said.
He cited that PBI is conducting their investigation taking Nusrat’s statement gave before she died as a fact.
