An 18-year-old girl was allegedly set on fire at a madrasa in Feni, where she went to take her Alim examinations on Saturday (Apr 6).
The incident took place at the Songazi Islamia Senior Fazil Madrasa centre at the southeastern district’s Sonagazi Upazila.
The victim, who has suffered 70 percent burns, has been brought to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s burns unit.
Her family alleged that the madrasa’s principal Siraj Ud Daula sexually abused her at his offices on Mar 27. After a report was filed with the police, the principal was arrested and has been behind bars since.
The victim and her family have been since pressured by a quarter to drop the charges. Family claims that the same people tried to kill her on Saturday as they refused to withdraw the case.
However, several students of madrasa, said they suspect she attempted to kill herself. According to them, she left the exam hall after the test started and soon after they heard some screaming on the roof. They were told that she suffered severe burns, but were not clear how she caught fire.
The exam centre’s Secretary Nurul Afsar Faruqi said, “I rushed to the roof immediately after hearing the incident and found night-guard Mohammad Mostofa and police constable Mohammad Rasel trying to put out the flames on her.”
She was taken to the state-run hospital in Sonagazi, the official added but could not say how the student caught fire.
Doctors at the Sonagazi Health Complex said the girl was critically injured.
“She suffered 80 percent burns and was transferred to the burns unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital,” hospital official Nurul Alam told Bangla Tribune.
Police said that an investigation has been launched. “We are looking into the matter to find those involved,” Sonagazi police OC Moazzam Hossain said.
The Upazila administration chief said they were also looking into it. “I rushed to the scene soon after the incident. A bottle of kerosene and plastic sheets have been seized from the crime scene,” UNO Md Sohel Parvez said.
Meanwhile, a group of students demonstrated demanding release of the principal while another group formed a human chain demanding his punishment over the last few days in the Upazila town.