Mass Gathering at Moyna’s Funeral; Real Mystery Behind Murder Yet to Be Uncovered

Delowar Hossain Mahdi : The people of Sarail in Brahmanbaria bid a tearful farewell to Moyna Akter, a 9-year-old madrasa student who fell victim to a brutal murder. On Monday (July 7), after the Asr prayer, her funeral prayer was held at the Shahbazpur playground, where hundreds of grief-stricken mourners gathered. She was later buried at the local cemetery.

The funeral was held after Moyna’s father, expatriate Abdur Razzak, returned to the country. A cloud of sorrow blanketed the area as locals, along with leaders from various political, social, and religious organizations, joined in the janazah (funeral prayer).

In a brief speech prior to the funeral, Brahmanbaria District BNP General Secretary Sirajul Islam Siraj said, “Such a heinous act of murder is completely unacceptable. The real perpetrators must be arrested and brought to justice without delay. However, the authorities must also ensure that no innocent person is harassed in the process.”

He further added that the BNP district unit stands in solidarity with the victim’s family and will continue to provide legal assistance until justice is served.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Moyna’s uncle Selim Mia demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible, stating, “If justice is not served, we will be forced to take to the streets with the people.”

Other notable attendees at the funeral included:

• Md. Anwar Hossain Master, former General Secretary of Sarail Upazila BNP and member of the District BNP,
• Advocate Nuruzzaman Laskar Topu, current General Secretary of Sarail Upazila BNP and Legal Affairs Secretary of District BNP,
• Advocate Abdur Rahman, former Upazila Chairman,
• Maulana Moinul Islam Khondoker, the Khilafat Majlish-nominated candidate for the Sarail constituency,
• Mufti Burhanuddin Kasemi, Senior Vice President of Hefazat-e-Islam Brahmanbaria district unit,
  along with many respected locals and devout worshippers.

Earlier on Sunday morning (July 6), Moyna’s bloodied body was found in a room on the second floor of the Shahbazpur Habli Para Jame Mosque. She was a student at a local madrasa, and her father works abroad in Bahrain.

Moyna had gone missing on Saturday afternoon while returning home from the madrasa. When she didn’t return, her family searched for her and later filed a General Diary (GD) at the Sarail police station that very night.

Sarail Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Morshedul Alam Chowdhury said, “This is an extremely tragic and heartbreaking incident. We are pursuing every possible legal avenue and will bring the culprits to justice as soon as possible.”