Bangladesh: HC confirms death sentence of lone accused for rape, murder of 8-year-old Asiya

The High Court on August 31, 2026 upheld the death sentence for Hitu Sheikh in a case over the rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl in Magura a year ago.

The bench of Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice KM Rasheduzzaman Raja delivered the verdict on after hearing the accused's appeal and the death reference, which is required for the approval of a death sentence to proceed.

On May 17, 2025, the Magura Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal sentenced Hitu to death for raping and murdering the child.

The other three suspects in the case, the child's brother-in-law Sajeeb Sheikh, Sajeeb's brother Ratul Sheikh and their mother Zaheda Begum, were acquitted.

After the verdict, Hitu appealed against the death sentence at the High Court.

At the same time, the death reference in the case came to the High Court for the approval of a death sentence.

The death reference section sent the case documents to BG Press for the preparation of a paperbook.

After the printing work, the paperbook reached the relevant branch of the High Court in June last year.

The child was raped on Mar 6, 2025, while visiting her sister's house in Sreepur Upazila of Magura.

On that day, she was taken from Magura Sadar Hospital to Faridpur Medical College Hospital and later to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

When her condition deteriorated, she was taken to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) on Mar 8. The child died there on Mar 13 while undergoing treatment.

Before that, on Mar 8, the child's mother had filed a case against Hitu and three others at Magura Sadar Police Station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.

After the child's death, a charge of murder was also added to the case.

The main accused in the case, Hitu, gave a confessional statement under Section 164 in the court on Mar 15.

Later, after the completion of the investigation, the police filed a charge sheet on Apr 13.

On Apr 23, the court framed charges against Hitu under Section 9(2) of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and against the other three accused under separate sections of the Penal Code, ordering the trial to begin.

After hearing the testimonies of 29 state witnesses in a trial that lasted just a few days, the tribunal announced its verdict in the case on May 17 of that year.

(Source: Daily Star, 31/08/2026)