Magura Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal on Saturday sentenced the prime accused, Hitu Sheikh, to death in the case of rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl in the district in March this year.
Judge M Zahid Hasan delivered the verdict of death sentenced to victim鈥檚 sister鈥檚 father-in-law Hitu Sheikh, 50, and fined him Tk聽1 lakh, the tribunal鈥檚 public prosecutor Monirul Islam said.
He said that the court acquitted three other accused, including Sajib Sheikh, the husband of the victim鈥檚 sister, Sajib鈥檚 brother Ratul Sheikh, and Hitu Sheikh鈥檚 wife Jaheda Begum.
On April 23, charges were framed against four people, including the death row convict and acquitted ones.
The court had completed the trial process within 21 working days from the charge framing date. The court recorded statements of 29 prosecution witnesses during the trial.
He said that although prime accused Hitu Sheikh confessed his crime to the court, all accused claimed themselves innocent on April 23 when the charges were framed against them.
Monirul also said that lawyer Sohel Ahmed was appointed as defence lawyer through legal aid following the claim of the accused persons.
On April 13, the police submitted the charge sheet against them.
The eight-year-old girl from Sreepur Upazila in Magura came to visit her elder sister鈥檚 in-laws鈥� house in Magura Sadar Upazila in early March. She was raped there.
On March 6, the victim was taken to a hospital in Magura in an unconscious state and was later shifted to Faridpur Medical College Hospital.
From there, she was shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and then to Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka, where she died on March 13.
On March 8, the victim鈥檚 mother filed a case with Magura Sadar police, naming four suspects.
The incident triggered widespread anti-rape protests in Dhaka as elsewhere in the country.
