Stabbed by stalker, schoolgirl Risha dies

Four days after being stabbed by her stalker, Suraiya Akter Risha, a class-VIII student at Willes Little Flower School in the capital, lost the battle for her life yesterday.

She died at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) around 8:40am, her father Ramjan Ali told The Daily Star.

As the news of her death spread, a few hundred students took to the streets and demonstrated for three hours from 10:30am, blocking the Kakrail intersection in front of the school.

Holding placards that read "We want justice for Risha", they demanded immediate arrest of the attacker.

An unidentified youth stabbed Risha on the Kakrail footbridge near her school on Wednesday noon. The incident happened when she was going home in Siddique Bazar area from the school.

Surrounded by friends and relatives trying to console her, deceased Risha's mother Tania Hossain cries in front of the Dhaka Medical College morgue yesterday. Photo: collected

Her mother, Tania Hossain, said other students saw a youth, aged around 20 to 22, running away from the scene. They, however, could not see his face.

She alleged that a youth -- Obaidul Khan -- from a tailoring shop on Elephant Road “stalked” her daughter over phone around three months ago.

Later, Tania filed a case against Obaidul under the women and children repression prevention act with Ramna Police Station. He is on the run, said police.

Eldest among three siblings, Risha had undergone a surgery at the DMCH on the day she was stabbed. She was moved to the ICU after her condition worsened, said doctors at the hospital.

"A large portion of her gullet was severely cut due to stabbing, and she had heavily bled before being taken to the hospital," said Jesmin Nahar, resident surgeon at casualty block of the DMCH.

Risha's lung and kidneys was not functioning properly, said the doctor, adding that a three-member medical board was formed for her treatment on Saturday.

After Risha died, her body was taken to her school.

She was buried at Azimpur graveyard last night.

Her father, Ramjan Hossain, who runs a clothing store at Siddique Bazar, was sobbing constantly while talking to this correspondent.

"She was everything for our family," he said. "We used to escort her to and from the school. But we could not do that recently as we also have two other school going children.”

His son reads in class-III while his other daughter in class-I.

Earlier talking to The Daily Star, Risha's mother Tania Hossain had said around three months ago, Obaidul got her daughter's mobile phone number after she gave her contact number and address to the tailoring shop at Eastern Mollika Shopping Complex.

Obaidul then started to stalk Risha over phone. He, however, stopped that a week later after Tania complained about the matter to shop owners at the mall.

Risha also changed her number.

On Tuesday, Obaidul intercepted the girl's way from school and tried to talk to her, said the mother, quoting Risha.

Ramna Police Station Sub-inspector Mosharaf Hossain, also the investigation officer of the case, said police were trying to arrest Obaidul, who is from Thakurgaon.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad in a press release yesterday condemned the murder and demanded immediate arrest of the killer.