The first picture has emerged of a 19-year-old student who was burned to death in Bangladesh after accusing the headmaster of her Islamic school of rape.

Nusrat Jahan Rafi, 19, died on April 10, four days after a mob doused her with kerosene on the roof of her school in the town of Femi, south of the capital Dhaka.

Police have since arrested 15 people, seven of whom they believe were directly involved in the attack. At least two male students were among those detained.

The tragedy began on March 27 when Rafi said the headmaster of her madrassa, or Islamic school, called her into his office, the BBC reports.

She claimed the man, named locally as Siraj-ud-Daula, repeatedly touched her inappropriately and that she fled, before going to the police station the same day.

In a video-taped interrogation, Rafi gave details of the alleged assault which were later leaked to the local media.

The allegations caused a backlash against her and her family, with male pupils from her school organising a rally in support of the headmaster.

Rafi had exams to attend at the school on April 6, but fearing for her safety she tried to take her brother along for protection.

He was barred from entering the school building, and a short while later Rafi was lured to the roof on the pretext that one of her friends was being beaten up there.

Instead, she was confronted by a group of people wearing burqas who demanded that she drop her complaint against the headmaster.

When she refused, the group held her down, poured kerosene over her and set her alight before fleeing.





The group had apparently tried to make the incident look like a suicide - self-immolation is not an uncommon method of suicide among sex attack victims in that part of the world - but she survived.

While being taken to hospital in an ambulance, Rafi used her brother's mobile phone to record a video about her attack in which she named some of the people she believed were responsible, according to the BBC.

News of the attack has sparked a fierce backlash among locals and drawn protesters on to the streets demanding justice.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met Nusrat's family in Dhaka and promised that 'none of the culprits will be spared from legal action.'

Daula remains in police custody where he has been held since the alleged attack.

Fifteen others are now being held alongside him, while the police officer who filmed Rafi's confession has since been removed from his post.

Nusrat's funeral ceremony was held on Thursday in her hometown, Uttar Charsandia.

Her father, Musa Manik, said: 'We are satisfied with the progress of the investigation, but a speedy trial is a must.'

This article has been adapted from its original source.