19-year-old Nusrat Jahan Rafi, who was burned to death last week, was killed on the orders of her school principal, Siraj-ud-Daula, after she had accused him of sexual harassment, Bangladeshi police stated Friday.
The head teacher "told them to put pressure on Rafi to withdraw the case or kill her if she refused", senior police superintendent Mohammad Iqbal told the AFP.
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"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.
He also added that at least five of the seventeen arrested following the deadly incident had tied the girl up with a scarf before setting her on fire.
Following the tragic events, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met Nusrat's family in Dhaka and stressed that "none of the culprits will be spared from legal action".