Nilphamari Correspondent 

The family of a five-year-old girl in Jaldhaka upazila of Nilphamari has alleged that the child was murdered in a planned manner and an attempt is being made to frame her father’s relatives by passing it off as drowning.

They also raised allegations of discriminatory behavior by the local police and demanded an impartial inquest report and a fair probe into the incident to bring the culprits to justice.

The demands were made at a press conference held at the Jaldhaka Press Club office around 12:30 pm om Sunday.

Reading out a written statement, the victim’s uncle, Abdur Rashid (26), alleged that his niece, Khadija Akhter, was killed at the residence of Enamul Haque in Nalarpar village under Dauabari union around 11:30 am on September 30.

"The perpetrators threw her body into a pond to make it look like an accidental drowning. This false narrative is being pushed to frame and harass our family legally," Rashid said.

He further claimed that despite applying to the police station for the recovery of the body and an official inquest following an unnatural death complaint, the inspecting police officer took signatures from the family stating they had "no complaints or suspicions."

"If we had no complaint or suspicion, why would we formally request the police to recover the body and perform an inquest?" Rashid questioned.

The victim's father, Azharul Islam, along with other uncles—Nazrul Islam, Naushad Ali, Abu Musa, and Shahinur Haque—were present at the conference.

Rashid also alleged that the opposing party—the maternal relatives of the deceased—has been threatening local journalists who reported on the child's unnatural death.