House tutor sentenced to death for rape 

A tribunal has sentenced house tutor Zahidul Islam, 30, to death for raping a seven-year-old child at Banasree of the capital Dhaka four years ago. He has also been fined Tk 50,000. 

In default of payment, he will have to serve another six months in prison. Judge Mosammat Rokshana Begum Happy of Dhaka's Women and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal-3 announced the verdict on Wednesday (March 19) afternoon. 

State lawyer Md. Sajjad Hossain Sabuj confirmed this information.

Expressing satisfaction with the verdict, Md. Sajjad Hossain Sabuj  said, “There is no exemption for rapists. All rapists should be given tough punishments so that no one dares to rape.”

The defendant's lawyer Imran Hossain expressed his dissatisfaction with the verdict. 

He said, “We will go to the High Court against the verdict. We hope that the High Court will acquit him.”

 Zahidul was produced in the court from the jail when the verdict was announced. After the verdict, he was taken back to jail. 

The convict, Zahidul Islam, is the son of Md. Fazlul Haque of Parikhal village in Barguna sadar upazila.

According to the case documents, Zahidul went to teach the girl in her home on March 23, 2021. Her parents were working at the rickshaw garage nearby. At one point, they saw Zahidul leaving their house hastily and heard their daughter crying. They rushed to the house and found the child in an awful condition. She told her ordeal to her parents.

The victim's father later filed the case with the Khilgaon Police Station.

Police on July 24, 2021, filed the charge-sheet against the sole accused. The court on January 20, 2022, framed charges against Zahidul. It came with the judgment today after examining 10 witnesses on different hearing dates.