Protests erupted in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country on Sunday as Thursday night’s rape of a 21-year-old woman in a village under Muradnagar upazila in Cumilla came to light after a video went viral on social media Saturday night.
Students of different universities in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country staged demonstration on their campuses on Sunday demanding punishment for the rapist and those involved in circulating the video of torturing the woman in public.
Different rights organisations, in separate statements on the day, protested at the rape and demanded justice for the victim.
The viral video showed that the victim was crying as a group of people were torturing her by stripping off her clothes.
The police on Sunday arrested five people including the prime accused in the case of raping the woman. The prime accused, Fazar Ali, 36, was arrested for raping the victim belonging to the Hindu community and four others were arrested for harassing the victim in public and grabbing video of the harassment Friday morning, the police said.
The High Court on the day directed the inspector general of police to submit a progress report within 15 days on the investigation into the reported rape in Muradnagar upazila.
The bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Sayed Jahed Mansur passed the order after hearing a public interest writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Mir AKM Nurunnabi, seeking urgent state intervention and protection for the victim.
The petition was filed along with a newspaper clipping of a Prothom Alo report on the alleged rape incident.
The court set July 14 for the next hearing and issued a set of directives focusing on the victim’s safety, privacy, and justice.
The court asked the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police in Cumilla to ensure her adequate security and access to medical care.
Addressing the violation of the victim’s right to privacy and dignity, the court directed the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission to remove within 24 hours any video clips of the incident that had been circulated on social media platforms.
The students of Dhaka University brought out a protest procession from Jagannath Hall early Sunday demanding justice for the victim.
Jagannath University students under the banner of ‘JnU Student Forum’ staged a demonstration on its campus in Dhaka on Sunday, condemning the alleged rape in Muradnagar.
Left student leaders of Rajshahi University staged a demonstration on the campus on Sunday condemning the rape, New Age Staff Correspondent in Rajshahi reported.
New Age correspondent in Cumilla, referring to local people and political activists, reported that the prime accused in the case, Fazar Ali, was an activist of former Awami League lawmaker for Cumilla 3, Jahangir Alam Sarkar, and, after the August 5, 2024 political changeover, he was seen participating in programmes of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the National Citizen Party,
Muradnagar police station officer-in-charge Jahidur Rahman said that the victim, a mother of two children and wife of an expatriate, filed a case on Friday alleging that Fazar Ali forcibly opened the door of the house while she was visiting her parent’s home, entered her room and raped her at about 11:00pm on Thursday.
On Sunday, Police Headquarters in a press release said that they arrested Fazar Ali at Dhaka on the day.
The release said that they also arrested four other people for grabbing the video and circulating it on social media.
OC Jahidur said that local people caught Fazar Ali and beat him but later he fled to Dhaka.
Rights group Ain O Salish Kendra in a statement on Sunday described the incident as a ‘targeted attack’ and demanded speedy trial for the perpetrators.
Non-government organisation Manusher Jonno Foundation in a statement demanded speedy trial in the case and justice for the survivor.
MJF also urged the government to ensure necessary support for the survivor in Muradnagar upazila for her full recovery and reintegration into normal life.
Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, Naripokkho and Ganatantrik Odhikar Committee in separate statements demanded justice for the victim.