Magura rape: Locals demand women madrasha at accused's home

Locals demanded that a madrasha for women be established on the land of the house of the accused of the eight-year-old rape victim in Magura Sadar upazila.

They made the demand after torching and demolishing the house on Thursday night shortly after the victim was laid to rest.

A video showing locals cutting down trees of the accused and taking away valuables from the house went viral on social media.

They also blocked Bhayna intersection on Dhaka-Khulna highway, Dhaka Road Bus Stand and several roads of the Magura district headquarters demanding capital punishment of the accused on Thursday night.

Hitu Sheikh is the prime accused in the rape case at Nijnanduali village in Magura Sadar upazila.

The victim who died at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) after being raped a week ago was laid to eternal rest at her village home at Jaria village in Sreepur upazila of Magura on Thursday.

The girl was buried hours after her body was brought to Magura stadium by a helicopter around 5:15pm.

Her namaz-e-janaza was held after Maghrib prayers at Magura Nomani Maidan around 7pm.

The incident of rape occurred on 5 March night when the victim visited her sister's in-laws' house at Nijnanduali village in Magura's Sadar upazila.

She went to bed with her sister at night, but at the dead of night, her sister found her missing and began searching for her.

After a frantic search, the girl was found unconscious a few yards away from the house.

She was initially admitted to Magura General Hospital and later transferred to Faridpur Medical College Hospital as her condition deteriorated.

On Thursday, she was moved to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) before being shifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Dhaka.

The rape of the girl sparked protests across the country. University students, including that of Dhaka University, staged demonstrations on their respective campuses, demanding the death penalty of the accused.

Meanwhile, police arrested four people -- victim's brother-in-law Sojib Sheikh, 20, his brother Ratul Sheikh, 25, and their parents, her sister's parents-in-law, Hitu Sheikh, 50and Jabeda Begum, 40, -- in connection with the rape on 8 March.

On Monday midnight, a Magura court placed the main accused on a seven-day remand and three others on a five-day remand each.

The High Court (HC) on Sunday ordered the lower court to complete the trial of the case within six months.

The HC also ordered the completion of investigation into the case within 30 days, and submit a report in this regard accordingly.