Justice has finally arrived for a 19-year-old Bangladeshi woman weeks after her nightmarish demise.
Nusrat Jahan Rafi, who was lured to the roof of her Islamic school building on April 6 — days after accusing her headmaster Siraj Ud Doula of sexual harassment — was set ablaze moments after being doused with kerosene.
Now, he and 15 other suspected abettors have been arrested, reported BBC.
“None of the culprits will be spared from legal action,” vowed Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Cops claim Doula masterminded the heinous “military plan” from prison after Rafi refused to retract the charges against him.
Rafi’s case has sparked massive protests in the Asian nation of more than 163 million residents. Her death is also highlighting the vulnerability sexual harassment and assault victims often face when coming forward with allegations.
Doula was arrested soon after Rafi filed her complaint in late March, reported BBC. On April 6, she attended school to take final exams when she was lured to the roof and set on fire by a group wearing burquas.
The conspirators had planned to make the murder resemble an immolation suicide, said cops. But Rafi, who suffered burns on over 80% of her body, proffered a statement before succumbing on April 10 to her severe injuries.
Students and two local politicians are among the 16 people charged with murder on Wednesday — and investigators are demanding the death penalty for the suspects. Police say that the principal has confessed in court that he ordered the murder.
Twelve of the 16 suspects have offered confessions, including Doula.
