Magura rape, murder: Quick trial marks a watershed

In one of the swiftest and most significant verdicts in recent memory, a Magura court yesterday sentenced 44-year-old Hitu Sheikh to death for the rape and murder of the eight-year-old sister of his daughter-in-law.

His wife Jaheda Begum, 38, and sons, Ratul Sheikh, 18, and Sajib Sheikh, 20, were acquitted as the charges against them could not be proven beyond reasonable doubt, according to the prosecution.

The victim, younger sister of Sajib's 14-year-old child bride, died at Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka on March 13, a week after she was raped.

The court handed down the verdict in record time, 24 days after the trial started on April 23, 2025.

In Bangladesh, rape case trials can often take several years to conclude, even at lower courts. The trial was completed in 13 working days, which is groundbreaking in the country, lawyers on the court premises said.

Judge M Zahid Hasan of the district's Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal pronounced the verdict in front of the four accused in a packed courtroom at 9:30am, said Public Prosecutor Monirul Islam Mukul.

The tribunal also fined Hitu Tk 1 lakh.

Before the delivery of the verdict, Hitu, Jaheda and their two sons were brought to the courtroom amid tight security.

Hitu and his two sons were garbed in flak jackets and helmets with protective visors to save them from the ire of the masses, who have been demanding justice since the girl's rape and death that shocked the nation.

Soon after hearing her husband's death sentence, Jaheda broke down in tears inside the dock.

The victim's mother, grandmother and several relatives came to the court premises, but they could not enter the courtroom due to the crowd.

They all expressed dissatisfaction over the acquittal of the three accused after hearing the verdict from others outside the courtroom.

While the prosecutors were busy briefing the media, the aggrieved mother was seen quietly leaving the court premises.

"I am not happy. All three of them might do the same thing [to others] after being released -- what will happen then?" she said firmly while standing outside the court premises.

"I am not satisfied. The three deserved punishment, as they assisted in the murder and concealed information."

Hitu's mother, Rokeya Begum, however, maintained that her son is innocent.

"I have not got justice. They have bound my son and taken him to the gallows," she said, crying for her son on the court premises.

"I could not hire any good lawyer for the lack of money. No lawyer wanted to stand for us here. One lawyer from the state was appointed to defend my son, but he did not do his job properly. So my son was sentenced," she added, "I will challenge the verdict in the higher courts."

Given the gravity of the case, the home ministry appointed Ehsanul Haque Shomaji, a lawyer ranked as an attorney general, as a special prosecutor.

Shomaji told the journalists on the court premises yesterday, "We are satisfied that the main accused has been given the death penalty. However, we are not happy with the acquittal of the other three. We will try to understand why they were acquitted after receiving the full verdict. After reviewing it, we will discuss with the appropriate authorities and then decide our next steps."

Jyotirmoy Barua, a Supreme Court lawyer, said in reaction to the verdict, "There appears to be an effort to expedite the trials of cases that receive significant media attention. This is referred to as selective justice."

"In Bangladesh, there are already a huge number of pending cases related to rape and murder in various courts. If those cases are not resolved at the same pace, it will create disparity, leading to judicial inequality.

"Equality in the application of the law is a fundamental aspect of article 27 of our constitution, which must be upheld. Therefore, all cases must be given equal priority when it comes to swift disposal," he added.

Hitu was charged with rape and murder, Sajib and Ratul were charged with criminal intimidation, and Jaheda was charged with tampering with evidence, according to the case dossier.

According to the case documents and the probe report, the child went to visit her elder sister's house on March 1.

On March 6 morning, the elder sister woke up to find the girl lying unconscious on the floor instead of beside her on the bed.

The child later complained of severe pain and burning in her genital area. The girl said her brother-in-law had unlocked the door, allowing his father to come, according to her sister.

The victim told her sister that she was forcibly taken to another room, gagged, and raped before being left unconscious on the floor of the room her sister was in.

The case statement said that when the elder sister tried to inform their mother over the phone, her husband snatched the phone and physically assaulted her. The two sisters were then locked in separate rooms, where the younger fell unconscious.

Sajib went to the room the child was kept in and poured water on her so that she could regain her sense, said the case statement.

However, as her condition kept worsening, Jaheda, with the help of some neighbours, took her to a local hospital and left her there.

Afterwards, she was taken to a hospital in Faridpur, then to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, and eventually Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka.

The victim's mother filed the case against Hitu, Jaheda, Sajib and Ratul with Magura Sadar Police Station on March 8.

The comatose victim battled for her life for about a week, suffering multiple cardiac arrests before succumbing to her injuries on March 13.

Hearing the news of her death, enraged locals set fire to Hitu's house.

Md Alauddin, inspector (investigation) of Magura Sadar Police Station, who investigated the case, submitted the charge sheet naming the four accused on April 13.

The death of the girl had sent shockwaves across the nation, with many demanding that the government expedite justice for rape victims and reform laws related to the safety of women and children.

The court took two days -- May 12 and 13 -- to hear the arguments from the prosecution and the defence before setting the verdict date. It also took eight days to record the testimonies of 29 out of 40 prosecution witnesses mentioned in the charge sheet. They included the victim's sister.