A tribunal in Habiganj has sentenced two youths to three years of imprisonment each for the sexual assault of a six-year-old madrasa student in Nabiganj upazila. The court also imposed a fine of 20,000 Taka on each convict, with additional prison time mandated in the event of default.
Judge Syeda Minhaj Um Munira of the Habiganj Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-3 delivered the verdict on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, at approximately 2:00 pm. Both convicts were present in the dock when the court announced the ruling.
The convicted individuals have been identified as 17-year-old Rajib Mia, son of Elai Mia, and 18-year-old Sheikh Jamal, son of Sheikh Farid Mia. Both reside in Srimatpur village, located within Nabiganj upazila.
According to court documentation, the incident occurred on the afternoon of 17 August 2025. The victim was returning home from a local madrasa when the two accused intercepted her. The youths lured the child to Sheikh Jamal’s residence, where they subjected her to a severe sexual assault inside an empty room before abandoning her.
Family members conducted a frantic search after the child failed to return home on time. Upon discovering her in a critical condition, relatives rushed her to the Habiganj 250-bed Modern District Hospital for urgent medical treatment. On 18 August 2025, the victim’s mother lodged a formal complaint at Nabiganj Police Station, initiating legal proceedings under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.
The investigation was assigned to Inspector (Investigation) Dulal Mia of Nabiganj Police Station. Following a thorough probe and medical examinations, Inspector Mia submitted a formal charge sheet to the court on 30 March 2026, naming both Rajib Mia and Sheikh Jamal as the prime suspects.
During the trial, the prosecution presented 12 witnesses, alongside medical reports and corroborating evidence, to establish the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt.
Clarifying the rationale behind the sentencing, Public Prosecutor (PP) Kamal Uddin Ahmed Salim confirmed that whilst the statutory penalty for such offenses can extend up to ten years, the tribunal exercised discretion based on the ages of the perpetrators. Given that one convict was a minor at the time of the offence and the other was barely an adult, the court factored in their youth when handing down the three-year prison terms. Following the verdict, the convicts were escorted to Habiganj District Jail under armed police guard.
