A court has sentenced the main accused Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Akhter to death in the much-discussed case of raping and murdering an eight year old child in the capital’s Pallabi. At the same time, the court has fined Sohel Rana Tk 5 lakh and Swapna Tk 2 lakh.
Judge Masrur Salekin of the Dhaka Metropolitan Child Violence Prevention Tribunal announced the verdict on Sunday (June 7). The verdict in the much-discussed case was given after just 17 days of judicial proceedings.
Extensive security measures were taken in the court area around the announcement of the verdict. Accused Swapna Akhter was brought to the court at 8:29 am. Later, the main accused Sohel Rana was produced before the court at 8:50 am amid tight police security.
Deputy Commissioner of the Prosecution Department of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Mia Mohammad Ashish Bin Hasan said that three additional platoons of policemen have been deployed around the announcement of the verdict. That is, about 60 additional policemen are on duty. In addition, there are about 40 members already deployed in the court area. In total, more than 100 police members are on duty.
He also said that the presence of the general public in the court is also comparatively low. We do not see any risk or fear. Still, necessary security measures have been taken.
On May 19, the second-grade student was raped and murdered in a flat next to her house. After the incident, there was intense anger and protests across the country. Demands were made to ensure speedy trial from various quarters. The highest level of the state also assured of speedy trial.
On the day of the incident, the police arrested the main accused Sohel Rana from Fatulla in Narayanganj. At the same time, his wife Swapna Akhter was arrested. The next day, the child’s father filed a case with Pallabi Police Station. Sohel Rana was the main accused in the case and his wife Swapna Akhter and several unidentified others were accused. The case was filed under sections 302 and 201 of the Women and Children’s Repression Prevention Act and the Penal Code.
During the investigation, the investigation agency collected DNA reports, forensic evidence, autopsy reports and various evidence recovered from the scene. Investigators claim that the collected evidence has provided sufficient basis for the charges against the accused.
After a quick investigation, the police filed a charge sheet in the court on May 24. The charge sheet charged Sohel Rana with rape and murder and Swapna Akhter with aiding and abetting the crime. The court accepted the charge sheet and sent the case to the Dhaka Metropolitan Child Violence Prevention Tribunal for trial.
On June 1, the tribunal framed charges against the two accused and ordered the trial to begin. On June 2, the testimony of 16 out of 17 witnesses for the state was completed. The witnesses included the child’s parents, elder sister, neighbors, investigation officers, police members and forensic experts.
On June 3, a hearing was held for the accused’s defense under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code. At this time, the main accused Sohel Rana pleaded not guilty and apologized to the court. The other accused Swapna Akhter also pleaded not guilty.
In the argument hearing on June 4, the state claimed that the charges against the accused had been proven beyond a reasonable doubt through testimony, DNA reports, forensic evidence and other elements of the case. The state demanded the maximum penalty of death for the two accused.
Special Public Prosecutor Advocate Azizur Rahman Dulu told the court that a complete ‘chain of facts’ had been established in the investigation and judicial proceedings, which directly linked the accused to the crime.
On the other hand, the defense lawyer, Advocate Musa Kalimullah, who was employed at state expense, requested life imprisonment for Sohel Rana and a maximum sentence of seven years for Swapna Akhter on the charge of aiding and abetting in the disappearance of the body.
At a roundtable meeting on Saturday before the verdict, the child’s father said he not only wants justice for his child, but also for a society and a judicial system where no child will have to suffer such a brutal incident.
The trial, including the investigation, charge sheet, framing of charges, testimony, defense and arguments, was completed in just 17 days.
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