The High Court on Monday upheld the death sentences of two men convicted over the murder of Feni madrasah student Nusrat Jahan Rafi. Four other accused were sentenced to life in prison and ten were acquitted.

A bench of Justice Bhishmadev Chakraborty and Justice KM Rasheduzzaman Raja delivered the verdict on the death reference and the accused’s criminal and jail appeals. The death sentences of SM Siraj-ud-Doula, then principal of Sonagazi Islamia Fazil Madrasah, and Shahadat Hossain Shamim were upheld.

On October 24, 2019, a Feni Tribunal sentenced all 16 accused to death and fined each of them BDT 100,000. The case records were then sent to the High Court for confirmation of the death sentences, after which the accused filed jail and criminal appeals.

Nusrat’s mother filed a case on March 27, 2019, accusing Siraj-ud-Doula of sexual abuse, and police arrested him. Several of Siraj-ud-Doula’s followers then tried to build public support for securing his release from prison. On April 3, the accused killers consulted Siraj-ud-Doula in prison, and the next day planned to kill Nusrat at the madrasah hostel. On April 6, when she went to the madrasah to sit an Alim examination, she was taken to the roof of a cyclone shelter in an attempt to kill her.

Nusrat was rescued and treated at Sonagazi Upazila Health Complex and Feni General Hospital before being moved to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. She died on April 10, 2019. Her brother Mahmudul Hasan Noman then filed the murder case.