Aritri suicide case: Court orders fresh probe

A Dhaka court has ordered fresh probe in the case filed against two former teachers of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College for allegedly instigating one of their students Aritri Adhikary to commit suicide.

July 25 was fixed for pronouncing verdict in the case filed against the then acting principal of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College Nazneen Ferdous and morning shift in-charge of the school’s Bailey Road branch Zinat Akhtar.

But Judge Abdullah Al Mamun of Dhaka 12th Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court, acting on its own motion, asked Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to probe the case afresh.

Police on March 28, 2019, filed the charge sheet against the then principal of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College Nazneen Ferdous and morning shift in-charge of the school’s Bailey Road branch Zinat Akhtar.

Investigation officer (IO) inspector Qazi Qamrul Islam of detective branch (DB) of police submitted the charge sheet.

Earlier on April 30, 2019, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sadbir Yasir Ahsan Chowdhury accepted the charge sheet filed in the case. The court on July 10, 2019, framed charges against the two teachers.

The court also allowed the investigation officer’s plea to drop name Aritri’s class teacher Hasna Hena’s name from the case as allegations brought against her were not found true in the probe.

Aritri was found hanging from a ceiling fan of her residence in capital’s Shantinagar area on December 3, 2018, hours after she and her parents were allegedly insulted by the teachers. She was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where doctors declared her dead.

Aritri’s father Dilip Adhikary on December 4 filed the case with Paltan Police Station against the three teachers.