NGO worker ‘gang-raped’ in Bagerhat

NGO worker ‘gang-raped’ in Bagerhat
NGO worker ‘gang-raped’ in BagerhatProthom Alo illustration

Despite widespread protests against rape and the government’s plan to toughen the law in this regard, a female NGO worker has allegedly been gang-raped at her house in Fakirhat of Bagerhat district.

Police arrested Mamun Sheikh, 30, early Sunday in connection with the rape.

The victim filed a case against four people—Mamun Sheikh, Firoz Nikari, Raju, and Musa — in this regard on Sunday.

One of them is a three-wheeler driver and three others are construction and agriculture workers, police said.

Pankaj Chandra Roy, police superintendent of the district, said the four miscreants entered the victim’s house at night and raped her in turns.

Police seized a video of the incident which was recorded by the rapists to blackmail her, Pankaj said.

The culprits also looted Tk 16,000 and gold ornaments from the victim’s house.

Patrol police arrested one of them but three others managed to flee, the SP said.

“We’re on a manhunt to catch others,” he added.

The landlord of the victim said the girl is married but she was staying alone in a rented room due to her job.

The 25-year-old victim was sent to Sadar Hospital for medical test.

Local people demanded immediate arrest of the rapists.

According to Ain-o-Salish Kendra (ASK), a human rights organisation, some 1,000 rape cases were reported in the country, including 208 gang rapes, between January and September 2020.

Waves of anti-rape demonstrations erupted across Bangladesh after a video footage of five men gang-raping a housewife, stripping her off and filming the video of the incident in Noakhali’s Begumganj upazila, went viral on social media on Sunday.

The incident took place at Joykrishnapur village under Eklashpur union of the upazila on 2 September.

Protesters including students, leaders and activists of different organisations have been demonstrating for the last few days over the growing incidents of rape, sexual harassment and violence against women in Bangladesh.