Tutor sentenced to death for child rape

A tribunal has sentenced tutor Zahidul Islam (30) to death for raping a seven-year-old child at Banasree under Khilgaon police station in the capital in 2021.

Judge Mosammat Rokshana Begum Hepi of Dhaka's Women and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal-3 announced the verdict on Wednesday (March 19).

In the verdict, the court also fined Zahidul Tk 50,000 and, in default, to six months' rigorous imprisonment.

The accused was produced before the court from jail during the delivery of the verdict. In his presence, the tribunal delivered the verdict and ordered him to be sent back to jail.

The death row convict, Jahidul Islam, is the son of Md Fazlul Haque of Parikhal village at Sadar upazila in Barguna.

State lawyer Md Sajjad Hossain (Sabuj) confirmed this information.

He expressed satisfaction with the verdict and said, "There is no exemption for rapists. All rapists should be given a harsher sentence. So that no one dares to rape again."

The defendant's lawyer Imran Hossain said, "We are not satisfied with the verdict. We hope that the defendant will be acquitted if we appeal to the High Court against this verdict."

According to the case, on March 23, 2021, tutor Zahidul Islam came to the victim's house to teach. The victim's parents were working in a garage adjacent to the house around 8:30 pm. At that time, they suddenly saw tutor Zahidul rushing out. Soon they went home hearing the child's crying. Later, the child said that her teacher had raped her.

The victim's father filed a rape case under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act over the incident. On July 24, 2021, the case was investigated by police inspector Rashida Jahan Runa Talukder, the investigation officer of the Women Support and Investigation Division. She filed a charge sheet against the defendant.

The court ordered the trial to begin by framing charges against the defendant on January 20 of the following year.