Rafiqul Islam Rafiq, Kurigram Correspondent
A class 9 schoolgirl (15) was allegedly abducted from her home, raped and murdered over a land dispute in Kurigram Sadar Upazila's Kagoji Para village of Holokhana Union. Police recovered her body from an agricultural field near her house around 7:30 am on Saturday (May 10).
The deceased, Jannati, was a class 9 student of Kagoji Para Government High School. Her father, Zahidul Haque, is a local farmer.
Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Habibullah said the body had serious head injuries. Initially, it seems to be a murder. However, the autopsy report is more important before making a final comment. The body has been sent to the Kurigram Sadar Hospital morgue for an autopsy.
The deceased's uncle, Khalilur Rahman, claimed, "Sometime at night, miscreants entered the house and dragged Jannati away. Her body was found on the land next to the house in the morning." He said that there had been a dispute over the land for a long time. They suspect that the murder was committed due to that dispute.
However, a section of the locals claim that they did not hear any screams or noise at night, which raises questions about some aspects of the incident. Even then, the issue of old enmity over the land cannot be completely ruled out.
OC Habibullah further said, "An investigation into the incident has been started. Legal action will be taken based on the written complaint. Currently, additional police are deployed in the area to control the situation."
Extreme tension prevails in the area over the incident. Locals have demanded a speedy investigation and arrest of the criminals.
