Court records closed-door testimony for Ramisa's sister

Court has recorded the testimony of Ramisa's elder sister, Raisa Akhter, an important witness in the case, in a closed-door hearing, taking into account her age and mental condition.

Dhaka Metropolitan Child Violence Prevention Tribunal Judge Masrur Salekin allowed the development on Tuesday (June 2) following a plea by state-appointed lawyer Azizur Rahman Dulu prior to the commencement of court proceedings.

The hearing took place from 10:35am to 11:26am at the tribunal. The main accused, Sohel Rana, and his wife, Swapna Akter, were produced before the court early in this morning.

The first witness was Ramisa’s father, Abdul Hannan Molla (complainant). As he was unwell, the court allowed him to testify while seated.

He told the court that on the day of the incident, he received a phone call from his wife shortly after arriving at his office in Banani Kakoli around 10:15am He returned home by bus within 25 to 30 minutes and found a crowd gathered outside the apartment building.

According to his testimony, his wife informed him that Ramisa was trapped inside a flat opposite theirs. He then brought a hammer and spent about 20 minutes breaking open the door lock. Upon entering the apartment, he saw a large amount of blood in the common room and found Swapna standing inside. He later discovered Ramisa’s body beneath a steel bed and her severed head inside a bucket. He also told the court that he had never seen Sohel Rana before the incident.

His testimony concluded at 11am.

At 11:02am, Ramisa’s mother, Parveen Akter, testified as the second witness. She said she had been cooking on the morning of May 19 when her elder daughter, Raisa, went to visit a relative. Ramisa wanted to accompany her sister, but she was not allowed to go.

A short time later, she heard a child screaming from a neighbouring flat. Three to four minutes afterward, Raisa returned home alone and informed her that Ramisa had not come to the relative’s house. After searching the area unsuccessfully, she became suspicious upon seeing one of Ramisa’s shoes outside a third-floor apartment. She then gathered neighbours and called her husband.

When no one opened the door, residents broke the lock and entered the flat, where they found Ramisa’s dismembered body beneath a bed. She testified that despite repeated requests, Swapna did not open the door. She later learned that a man named Rubel had allegedly escaped by cutting through a window grille.

Her testimony ended at 11:26am.

Following her testimony, prosecutor Azizur Rahman Dulu requested that the testimony of Raisa Akter, the third prosecution witness and Ramisa’s elder sister, be recorded through a camera trial or closed-door proceeding due to her young age and psychological condition. The court granted the request.

The tribunal framed charges against the two accused and ordered the commencement of the trial on June 1.

Ramisa’s body was recovered from a flat in Block B of Section 11 in Pallabi on May 19. Her father filed the case with Pallabi Police Station on the same day. The prosecution has listed a total of 17 witnesses in the case.