Witness names alleged killers, all-party meet demands trial

Her body was recovered from a pond there on July 23.

The main witness in the case -- Abdul Halim, 22-- now in custody, in his confessional statement before a First Class Magistrate at Satkuira on Thursday named four persons who allegedly killed her after gangrape, police said on Friday.

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The four are Minto, 18, Habib, 20, Mehedi, 21, and Polash, 20, police said quoting from Halim's confession.

Halim said he had an affair with Sharmin. They were going to the house of one of his relatives in the area on the night of July 22 to solemnise their marriage. As they reached behind the Tala Government College, the four miscreants caught and tied them.

They gangraped Sharmin, strangled her and threw the body in a nearby pond, Halim told police.

She was killed as she threatened to disclose the incident, he said.

Sharmin, 16, daughter of Abu Bakar of Paikgachha Sadar in Khulna district, worked as a maid at the house of Afzal Hossain at Barnihate village in Tala.

Tala thana Officer-in-charge Matiur Rahman is investigating the case.

Police arrested Habib on July 31 and Minto on Friday. The rest two are absconding.

Meanwhile an all-party meeting held on the premises of Tala government rest house demanded punishment of the killers of Sharmin.

Presided over by Mir Abul Kalam Azad, the meeting was addressed by, among others, BNP leader Pradeep Majumdar, Tala thana Awami League General Secretary Ghosh Sanat Kumar, Jubo Dal leader Sardar Easin, Jubo League leader Rafiqul Islam, Jatiya Party leader Abul Kalam Azad, JCD leader Mirza Atiar Rahman and Workers Party leader Pranab Ghosh Bablu.

The speakers said a tougher action programme will the launched if all the killers are not arrested immediately and punished.

At the meeting, a committee headed by JP leader Abul Kalam Azad was formed to buil a movement for arrest and trial of the killers.