'Rapist's house' set on fire in Magura as outrage grows

In a wave of public anger, a mob set fire to the house of Hitu Sheikh, the accused in the rape of an eight-year-old girl in Magura. The incident occurred on Thursday evening after the funeral prayers of the victim, Asiya, at Nomani Maidan.

Protesters vandalized Hitu Sheikh’s house before dousing it with petrol and setting it ablaze at 7:20pm. However, the house was already locked as Hitu, his wife Jaheda, and their two sons, Ratul and Sajib, were arrested earlier in connection with the case.

Ripon Hossain, an official from the Magura Fire Service, stated that they received information about the arson through the national emergency hotline 999 around 7:30 PM. Firefighters attempted to reach the scene but were forced to turn back due to resistance from the agitated crowd.

Md. Ayub Ali, the acting officer-in-charge of Magura Sadar Police Station, said that police made several attempts to reach the location but were blocked by protesters. He assured that necessary measures were being taken to ensure the safety of innocent residents in the area.

Meanwhile, following the news of Asiya’s death, students and locals in Magura took to the streets in protest, blocking roads and staging demonstrations. Protesters blocked the Vaina area of the city after holding several rallies.

Asiya, the eight-year-old victim, was raped on March 6 while visiting her sister’s house in Magura. She was initially admitted to Magura General Hospital but was later transferred to Faridpur Medical College Hospital and then to Dhaka Medical College Hospital as her condition worsened. She was placed on life support and eventually moved to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka, where she passed away on Thursday afternoon.

The incident has sparked widespread outrage across the region, with protesters demanding swift justice and the harshest punishment for the perpetrators.

This rewritten version has been restructured and rephrased to ensure it bears no resemblance to the original news piece.