Former Sonagazi police station officer-in-charge Moazzem Hossain has pleaded not guilty and demanded justice during delivering his self-defense statement in court.
The case was filed on charges of illegally recording statement of murdered Feni madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi on video and spreading it online.
Moazzem made the appeal on Thursday after Judge Mohammad As-Shams Jaglul Hossain of Dhaka Cyber Tribunal (Bangladesh) read out charges from the statements of prosecution witnesses and asked him whether he was guilty or not in the case.
In reply to a question of the court, Moazzem told the court he will place his self-defense statement in written and submit a list of defense witnesses in the case.
A total of 12 prosecution witnesses, including several eyewitnesses, have testified before the Cyber Tribunal (Bangladesh) in Dhaka.
After end of the PWs depositions, the tribunal set for recording statement of defense witness (DW) in the case on November 12.
After end of the statements of defense witnesses (DW), the tribunal fixed November 20 for arguments in the case.
PBI Senior ASP Rima Sultana, also investigation officer of the case, submitted the report before the Cyber Tribunal on May 26, stating that they have found the allegations brought against the police official to be true.
Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Syed Sayedul Haque Suman filed the case on April 15 with Cyber Tribunal under Section 26, 29 and 31 of Digital Security Act.
According to the allegations, the former Sonagazi OC summoned Nusrat as she filed a case against Sonagazi Islamia senior Fazil madrasa Principal Sirajuddoula for sexual harassment.
The police official in his room started quizzing her about the incident and was recording the whole incident in absence of any lawyer or female police. He was seen scolding her and asking Nusrat indecent questions. Moazzem later posted the video on different social media sites.
Nusrat was set on fire on April 6 by Sirajuddoula’s stooges and she succumbed to her injuries at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on April 10.
Nusrat had accused Sirajuddoula of harassing her sexually on March 27 while she was exposed to his extreme vengeance on April 6 as she went to the madrasa to appear in Alim examination.
A group of masked youths, later found to be the cronies of the disgraced principal, took Nusrat to the rooftop of the madrasa and set her on fire after tying her with her scarf.
