Advertising Read more Dhaka (AFP) A schoolgirl was burned to death in Bangladesh on the orders of her head teacher after she reported him for sexually harassing her, police said Friday. The death of 19-year-old Nusrat Jahan Rafi last week sparked protests across the South Asian nation, with the prime minister promising to prosecute all those involved. Rafi was lured to the rooftop of the Islamic seminary she attended where her attackers asked her to withdraw the sexual harassment complaint she had filed with police. When she refused, she was doused in kerosene and set on fire. Police said Friday that one of the 17 people arrested in connection with her death had accused the school's principal of ordering the attack. The teacher "told them to put pressure on Rafi to withdraw the case or kill her if she refused", senior police superintendent Mohammad Iqbal, who is leading the investigation, told AFP. Rafi had gone to police in late March to report the sexual harassment, and a leaked video shows the local police station chief registering her complaint but dismissing it as "not a big deal". Iqbal said at least five of those under arrest, including three of Rafi's classmates, had tied her up with a scarf before setting her on fire. "The plan was to pass the incident off as a suicide. But it fell through after Rafi managed to come downstairs while on fire because the scarf burnt and freed her hands and feet," he said. Rafi suffered burns to 80 percent of her body and died in hospital on April 10. But she recorded a video before her death, repeating her allegations against the principal. "The teacher touched me, I will fight this crime till my last breath," she said. She also identified some of her attackers. The case has caused outrage in Bangladesh, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina vowing that "none of the culprits will be spared legal action." Rights groups say the number of rape and sexual assault cases has increased in Bangladesh because authorities have failed to prosecute attackers. "The horrifying murder of a brave woman who sought justice shows how badly the Bangladesh government has failed victims of sexual assault," Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. "Nusrat Jahan Rafi's death highlights the need for the Bangladesh government to take survivors of sexual assault seriously and ensure that they can safely seek a legal remedy and be protected from retaliation," she added. ? 2019 AFP<doc-sep>A young woman in Bangladesh was burned alive for reporting that her principal molested her. Nusrat Jahan Rafi, 19, was lured to the roof of her madrasa, or Islamic school, in Feni April 6 and doused in kerosene by four attackers wearing burqas — after she refused to withdraw her case against the principal, the BBC reported Thursday. In the ambulance, fearing she might not survive, Rafi recorded a statement on a cellphone. saying: “The teacher touched me. I will fight this crime till my last breath.” She also identified her attackers as students at the school. About 80 percent of her body was burned and she died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital April 10. Her case has sparked protests across the country, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina promising that “none of the culprits will be spared legal action.” The young woman had reported March 27 that her principal called her into his office and repeatedly touched her inappropriately. She said the principal, Maulana Siraj Ud Doula, had also been repeatedly sexually harassing her and that she was told to keep it quiet by her teachers. Her statement to the cops was filmed and posted to social media by a police officer, which is illegal. In the video, Rafi can be seen bawling and trying to hide her face with her hands. The police officer tells her it’s “not a big deal” and to “stop crying, nothing happened that you have to cry,” the Dhaka Tribune reported. The principal was arrested. But Rafi’s family began receiving death threats from his supporters and male students and local politicians called for his release. Since her death, people have taken to the streets and social media to protest the treatment of sexual assault victims. As of Thursday, 15 people had been arrested in the case, including three male and one female students at the school allegedly responsible for the burning. Police have also launched an investigation into the handling of Rafi’s case, according to bdnews24. The officer who shared the footage of her report was transferred and is being sued under the Digital Security Act.<doc-sep>A Bangladeshi teenage girl has been burned to death for reporting that her headteacher sexually harassed her. Nusrat Jahan Rafi, a 19-year-old from a small town 100 miles south of Dhaka, was killed at her school less than two weeks after she filed the complaint. The saga has gripped Bangladesh and shined a light on the danger of coming forward about sexual harassment in the country. Ms Rafi, from Feni, said the headteacher called her into his office and repeatedly touched her in an inappropriate manner. She said she was forced to run out before things escalated. 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Fast News Protesters gathered in Bangladesh's Dhaka to demand justice for an 19-year-old woman who died after being set on fire for refusing to drop sexual harassment charges against her school principal. The death of 19-year-old Nusrat Jahan Rafi last week sparked protests across the South Asian nation, with the prime minister promising to prosecute all those involved. April 12, 2019. (AFP) A schoolgirl was burned to death in Bangladesh on the orders of her head teacher after she reported him for sexually harassing her, police said on Friday. The death of 19-year-old Nusrat Jahan Rafi last week sparked protests across the South Asian nation, with the prime minister promising to prosecute all those involved. Rafi was lured to the rooftop of the madrasa (religious school) she attended where her attackers asked her to withdraw the sexual harassment complaint she had filed with police. When she refused, she was doused in kerosene and set on fire. Police said on Friday that one of the 18 people arrested in connection with her death had accused the school's principal of ordering the attack. The teacher "told them to put pressure on Rafi to withdraw the case or kill her if she refused," senior police superintendent Mohammad Iqbal, who is leading the investigation, told AFP. Rafi had gone to the police in late March to report the sexual harassment, and a leaked video shows the local police station chief registering her complaint but dismissing it as "not a big deal." Iqbal said at least five of those under arrest, including three of Rafi's classmates, had tied her up with a scarf before setting her on fire. "The plan was to pass the incident off as a suicide. But it fell through after Rafi managed to come downstairs while on fire because the scarf burnt and freed her hands and feet," he said. Rafi suffered burns to 80 percent of her body and died in the hospital on April 10. But she recorded a video before her death, repeating her allegations against the principal. "The teacher touched me, I will fight this crime till my last breath," she said. She also identified some of her attackers. Rafi's brother Mahmudul Hasan Noman said people close to the principal had also put pressure on the family to withdraw the case against him. "They told us that it was a conspiracy against him and that it was fabricated," he told AFP. The case has caused outrage in Bangladesh, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina vowing that "none of the culprits will be spared legal action." A police official told AFP that they had also arrested the ruling party's local chapter head, over allegations he advised one of the prime suspects to flee. Scores of protesters from campaign group Student Community Against Rape and Sexual Violence rallied in central Dhaka on Friday demanding a judicial probe into the role of the police in the killing. "Police are not guilty of negligence but are rather involved in the murder of Nusrat. The [sexual harassment complaint] was filed on March 27, but police took no prompt action," the group's convener Shibly Hasan said, according to the online edition of the Daily Star newspaper. Rights groups say the number of rape and sexual assault cases has increased in Bangladesh because authorities have failed to prosecute attackers. "The horrifying murder of a brave woman who sought justice shows how badly the Bangladesh government has failed victims of sexual assault," Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. "Nusrat Jahan Rafi's death highlights the need for the Bangladesh government to take survivors of sexual assault seriously and ensure that they can safely seek a legal remedy and be protected from retaliation," she added. The local Manusher Jonno Foundation, a non-governmental group, says at least 39 children under the age of 18 have been raped in the country since April 2. Another eight have been subjected to attempted or sexual harassment, the group said. Source: AFP