STAFF CORRESPONDENT

A special court yesterday sentenced prime accused Sohel Rana and his wife Swapna Khatun to death for the rape and murder of eight-year-old schoolgirl Ramisa Akter, a crime that shook the nation.

Delivering the verdict in a packed courtroom, Judge Masrur Salekin of the Dhaka Metropolitan Children Violence Suppression Tribunal observed, “When a child becomes the victim of sexual abuse, violence, or a heinous crime such as murder, it not only devastates a family but also deeply wounds society as a whole and raises questions about the effectiveness of the state’s justice system.”

The judgment came 19 days after the horrific incident in the capital’s Pallabi area that set off a fierce wave of public outrage, prompting the government to pledge swift justice. The charges were framed on June 1. The law minister said this was the fastest trial in Bangladesh.

According to the verdict, Sohel, 31, got the penalty for murdering Ramisa after rape, while Swapna, 26, was sentenced for aiding and abetting.

People from various walks of life, including students, gathered on the court premises to hear the verdict amid tight security.

As the judge began reading out the verdict at 11:00am, with the accused couple standing in the dock, the courtroom fell into a hushed silence. Seated on a bench at the back was the victim’s father Abdul Hannan Mollah, quietly awaiting the court’s decision.

“Ramisa’s case is not merely a criminal trial; it is a profound and difficult test of the society’s conscience, humanity, law enforcement system, and commitment to the rule of law,” said the judge.

“Every page of this case, filed over the allegation of brutally extinguishing the life of an innocent child, is filled with pain, anger, concern, and the expectation of justice,” he said.

The judge noted this tribunal, “Behind

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