Court Bans Broadcast of Accused’s Statements in Pallabi Child Murder Trial

A Dhaka court has ordered a strict ban on recording or broadcasting statements from the accused while they are in police custody. Judge Masrur Salekin of the Dhaka Metropolitan Child Violence Prevention Tribunal issued the directive on Tuesday, June 2, during the trial for the rape and murder of an eight-year-old child in Pallabi.

Special Public Prosecutor (PP) Azizur Rahman Dulu filed the petition just before witness testimonies began. He informed the court that under existing High Court directives, an accused person cannot make public statements while in custody, except before a judge. Broadcasting such remarks violates Supreme Court guidelines, risks influencing public opinion, and compromises the transparency of the trial. The court granted the application and ordered authorities to strictly enforce the ban.

Following the ruling, witness testimonies commenced at 10:35 a.m. The victim's parents, Abdul Hannan Mollah and Parveen Akhter, delivered their statements and were cross-examined by state-appointed defense lawyer Musa Kalimullah. The court also recorded testimony from the victim’s elder sister via an in-camera hearing.

According to court sources, several other crucial witnesses—including a magistrate, a medical officer, an evidence collection officer, and local neighbors—are scheduled to testify today.

Earlier in the morning, the primary accused, Sohel Rana, and his wife, Swapna Akhter, were brought from Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj and Kashimpur Jail, respectively. They were present in the courtroom during the proceedings.

The tribunal framed charges against the couple on Monday, officially beginning the trial and issuing summons to 17 state witnesses. The court had accepted the police charge sheet, submitted by Pallabi Police Sub-Inspector Ahiduzzaman, on May 24.

According to the case files, the victim, a second-grade student named Ramisa, was lured into the accused's room by Swapna on the morning of May 19. When Ramisa's mother went looking for her shortly after, she found her daughter's shoes outside the couple's door. After breaking the door down with the help of neighbors, they discovered the child's decapitated body inside.

Police arrested Swapna at the scene following a call to the 999 national emergency service. Sohel Rana was later tracked via digital surveillance and arrested in the Fatulla area of Narayanganj. The victim's father filed the formal case at Pallabi Police Station on May 20.