Staff Reporter:
The eight-year-old girl from Magura, who lost her battle for life after a brutal sexual assault, was laid to eternal rest at her village home in Magura on Thursday night.
She was buried following a namaz-e-janaza after Esha prayers at Sonaikundi in Sreepur upazila. Local residents, relatives and other people broke into tears when the body of the child was lowered into the grave.
Earlier, a military helicopter carrying the body landed at Magura stadium around 6pm and the first funeral prayer was held at Nomani Maidan around 7pm.
Hundreds of people, including National Citizen Party (NCP) Chief Organiser (Southern Region) Hasnat Abdullah, Chief Organiser (Northern Region) Sarjis Alam, and Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish Ameer Mamunul Haque, attended the janaza.
In another development, agitated locals vandalised and torched the house of the rape accused in the municipality area following the janaza.
The child breathed her last at 1pm while undergoing treatment at Dhaka’s Combined Military Hospital (CMH).
She suffered three cardiac arrests in the morning; although stability was regained twice, the heartbeat could not be revived the third time, according to a press statement issued by the Bangladesh Army.
After an autopsy at the CMH, the body was flown to Magura.
The girl, who was visiting her elder sister’s in-laws’ house in Magura during Ramadan break, was sexually assaulted between 5 March night and 6 March morning.
In an unconscious state, she was taken to Magura 250-bed hospital by her sister’s mother-in-law around 11:30am on 6 March. The victim’s mother went to the hospital later on.
For better treatment, she was then taken to Faridpur Medical College Hospital from where she was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
On 7 March night, the child was put on life support at DMCH as her condition deteriorated. On 8 March afternoon, she was taken to CMH from DMCH’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
On 8 March, the victim’s mother filed a case against the child’s brother-in-law Sojib Hossain, 19, his father Hitu Mia, 42, who allegedly raped her, Sojib’s brother Ratul Sheikh, 17, and their mother Jabeda Begum, 40. All four were arrested.
The rape incident shook the nation and protests erupted across the country demanding justice for the victim.
