10-yr-old girl killed in arson attack

A 10-year-old girl was killed and her mother suffered serious burn injuries in a house fire at Patharghata upazila in Barguna early yesterday.

The dead is Sakhina Akhter, a grade-III student of a local primary school.

Sakhina’s step father Belal Hossain and his cohorts doused the house with petrol and set it on fire, alleged Sajenur Begum, 30, mother of the victim who suffered 80 percent burns all over her body.

“The house was burnt to ashes within 15 minutes,” a teary Sajenur said, adding, “They killed my only child. I demand justice.”

According to police sources, Sajenur and her second husband Belal used to live in the house after their marriage. The house was owned by Sajenur’s father. Recently, the duo got divorced. Sakhina was the daughter of Sajenur and her first husband Hasan.

Belal used to threaten Sajenur with death whenever they had family feuds, the sources added.

Hearing Sajenur scream, locals rushed to the spot and found the house on fire around 2:00am, said her neighbours.

Md Ziauddin, residential medical officer of Patharghata Upazila Health Complex, said Sajenur was admitted to the health complex first. Later, she was sent to Barishal Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital as her condition was deteriorating.

Md Humayun Kabir, upazila nirbahi officer of Patharghata, said he immediately provided the victim’s family with Tk 10,000 and asked police to identify the culprits and bring them to book.

Meanwhile, Belal reportedly died by suicide after the incident. Locals found his body hanging with a mango tree around 10:00am in the same upazila.

Police sent the bodies of Sakhina and Belal to Barguna General Hospital morgue for autopsies.

No case was filed till 8:00pm in this connection.