A Dhaka tribunal has observed that Swapna Khatun was present at the scene and actively assisted her husband Sohel Rana in the rape, murder, and attempted concealment of child Ramisa Akter’s body, according to the verdict delivered on Sunday.
The court stated that based on the evidence presented, the surrounding circumstances, and Section 106 of the Evidence Act, the involvement of both accused has been proven beyond doubt.
Special Public Prosecutor for the state Azizur Rahman Dulu argued that Ramisa’s headless body and her severed head inside a bucket were recovered from the flat of Sohel Rana and Swapna Khatun – a fact proven through witness testimony.
Citing Section 106 of the Evidence Act, the prosecutor said that if an event occurs only within the knowledge of a specific person, the burden of explaining that event falls upon that person.
Therefore, the legal responsibility to prove that Ramisa was not raped and murdered in their flat rests with Sohel Rana and Swapna Khatun, who was arrested from the scene, he argued.
In its verdict, the court noted that circumstantial evidence played a crucial role alongside the application of Section 106. The judge reviewed several relevant decisions of the High Court Division.
The court observed that Swapna Khatun, by being present at the scene, assisted in the rape, murder, and attempted concealment of the body. She also helped Sohel Rana escape by cutting through a window grill, thereby participating in the destruction of evidence.
The court concluded that after analysing circumstantial evidence, physical evidence, and other proof, it has become clearly apparent that Sohail Rana was directly involved in the rape and subsequent murder of Ramisa Akter, and Swapna Khatun actively assisted him.
Therefore, the charges brought against both accused have been proven beyond doubt, the tribunal ruled.
