Nusrat Murder: Siraj sexually abused other students too

The madrasa principal who allegedly ordered the killing of Nusrat Jahan Rafi had sexually harassed several other girls before, two students of the madrasa told a Feni court yesterday.

Nishat Sultana and Nasrin Sultana, students of Sonagazi Senior Fazil Madrasa, testified that their principal Siraj Ud Doula used to call girl students to his office room, telling them that he would give them the question papers ahead of exams.

The witnesses told a Women and Child Repression Prevention Court that Siraj’s personal assistant Nurul Amin called Nusrat out of her classroom on March 27 and said the principal wanted to see her at his room.

As Nusrat knew about the allegations of sexual abuse against Siraj, she took Nishat and Nasrin along with her.

But Siraj told Nishat and Nasrin to leave and asked Nusrat to stay inside.

The two girls waited outside the room for a while when Nusrat walked out of the room crying and went straight to the classroom.

The girls followed her to the classroom and asked her what had happened. Nusrat didn’t say anything and fell sick a little later. Her brother took her home afterwards.

Nishat and Nasrin wanted to go with her, but Siraj asked them not to do that. They later went to Nusrat’s home, where she told them that the principal had sexually abused her.

After the incident, the victim’s mother filed a case against Siraj. He was later arrested and sent to jail.

He was subsequently suspended from his post.

Aggrieved over his arrest and suspension, Siraj from the jail ordered his associates to burn Nusrat to death and stage it as suicide, investigators said.