Nusrat Murder: Four death-row convicts appeals for acquittal

Four death-row convicts, including sacked madrasa principal Siraj Ud Doula, in the sensational Nusrat Jahan Rafi murder case yesterday filed separate appeals with the High Court, seeking acquittal of the charges.

The other convicts are: Umme Sultana Poppy, Nur Uddin and Javed Hossain alias Sakhawat Hossain.

In the appeals, the convicts claimed innocence and prayed to the HC to stay the trial court verdict that also fined them, their lawyer AM Jamiul Hoque Faisal told The Daily Star.

The lawyer said he will move a petition before the HC within a few days for admitting the appeals for hearing.

A Feni court on October 24 handed down death sentence to all 16 accused, including Siraj Ud Doula and two expelled local Awami League leaders, over the murder of madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi in April, an incident that shocked the entire nation.

Mamunur Rashid, the judge of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal in Feni, also fined the convicts Tk 1 lakh each and ordered the district magistrate to give the money to the victim’s parents.

The accused fatally burnt Nusrat by pouring kerosene on her in a planned way and they deserved exemplary and harshest punishment, the judge said while delivering the verdict in a packed courtroom.

Siraj Ud Doula, the prime accused, was awarded capital punishment for giving the order to kill Nusrat while the others were given death penalty for plotting and committing the murder.