Netrokona madrasa teacher to die for child rape

A Netrokona court has sentenced a madrasa teacher to death for raping an 11-year-old student who became pregnant, while acquitting his brother in the same case as the allegations against him could not be established.

Judge Md Abdus Salam of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal delivered the verdict on Wednesday in the 
presence of both accused.

The condemned convict, Aman Ullah Mahmudi, alias Sagar, was also fined Tk1 lakh. His brother, Maimun, alias Mamun Mia, was acquitted of the charge of threatening the victim’s family.

Public Prosecutor Advocate Nurul Kabir Rubel confirmed the verdict, adding that the court had recognised the child born from the rape as Sagar’s daughter and directed that her birth registration reflect his paternity.

The court also ordered the state to bear all expenses for the child, with the provision to recover the costs from the convict.
According to the case records, the victim was a student at a women’s Qawmi madrasa in Madan upazila, founded and run by Sagar, who was also its director and a teacher. Following her parents’ separation, she had been living with her maternal grandfather, while her mother worked as a domestic help in Sylhet.

Sagar repeatedly raped the girl, allegedly luring her to clean the mosque veranda and rooms inside the madrasa. Her pregnancy was confirmed through a medical examination at a Madan clinic on April 18, when she was found to be seven months pregnant.

Her mother filed a case with Madan Police Station on April 23, accusing Sagar and his brother. Sagar went into hiding but was arrested by RAB-14 in Mymensingh’s Gouripur upazila on May 6.

Following his arrest, the court initially granted him three days of remand against a seven-day prayer by the investigating officer.

On May 12, the court ordered the victim’s transfer to a safe shelter in Sylhet under the Department of Social Services, following a request from her mother.

Sagar’s DNA sample was collected at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Dhaka on May 17. The victim gave birth to a daughter at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital on July 2.

A subsequent DNA examination established a 99.99 per cent match between the newborn and Sagar, confirming his paternity.
After receiving the forensic report, Sub-Inspector Md Aktaruzzaman of Madan Police Station submitted a charge sheet against the two accused on August 27.

During the trial, the tribunal recorded testimonies of 10 witnesses and examined scientific evidence, including DNA reports. The prosecution and defence concluded their arguments on October 28, paving the way for Wednesday’s verdict.