Case filed in Natore against 7-year-old listed as 21

In a sensational incident in Natore's Gurdaspur upazila, a 7-year-old boy has been named as an accused in a case of stabbing and injuring a ninth-grade student.

When the child appeared in court with his father, the judge expressed surprise and immediately granted him bail on Sunday (April 26).

According to the case file, Shravan Sarkar, a ninth-grade student of Gurdaspur Government Model High School, was stabbed and beaten to death on the grounds of Dharabarisha Shah High School on April 9. His father filed a case against five people at Gurdaspur Police Station on April 10.

The charge sheet mentions Hossain Ali as the third accused, who is shown as 21 years old on paper. But in reality, he is a first-grade student of the local Dharabarisha Government Primary School and his actual age is only 7 years old—this is also clear from the birth certificate.

After appearing in court, the judge was surprised to see the matter. After the hearing, the child was granted bail and ordered the plaintiff in the case to be issued a notice to appear in court.

The child's lawyer Shamim Hossain said that the child was present at school at the time of the incident. He claimed that such a harassment case was filed only to frame the opponent.

The child's father Shahjahan Ali said, "I never imagined that I would have to come to court with my ignorant child. I want justice for those who filed such a false case."

Lawyers say that many times the entire family is accused to harass the opponent, but in cases of a child of obvious age, the fact that the matter was not verified at the investigation stage has raised big questions.

The incident has sparked widespread discussion in the area and questions have been raised about the investigation process.