Woman tortured, head shaved for alleged illicit affair

A woman was tortured and her head shaved for alleged involvement in an extra-marital affair with a nephew of her husband at Ichhadi village under Patuakhali's Galachipa upazila on Saturday.

The victim is the wife of Habib Rari of the village and mother of two children.

According to locals, Habib Rari's nephew Mizan Rari often visited Habib's house. When Mizan went to the house at around 11:00am on Saturday, some of Habib's neighbours, suspecting an illicit affair between them, informed MA Kuddus, former upazila parishad (UP) chairman, and Khaledul Islam Swapan, newly elected UP chairman and also president of Galachipa upazila Jubo League.

Kuddus and Swapan went to the spot and took the duo to the union parishad office at about 12:30 pm with the help of the village police.

Kuddus and Swapan arranged an arbitration meeting at about 7:30pm, where they declared that the accused would be beaten. They also fined Mizan Tk 30,000.

Mizan and the woman were taken to a field where Swapan beat up both of them with sticks. Sawpan also told a barber to shave the woman's head. The duo were freed after that and the woman went back to her house.

After getting information, police rescued the victim from her house at about 11:30 pm and took her to Galachipa Police Station. Mizan has gone into hiding.

Habib filed a case with the Galachipa Police Station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, accusing MA Kuddus, Khaledul Islam Swapan, Shamsul Haq Dakua, president of the union unit of Krishak League, Ashraful Islam Tipu, Nizam Member, Abdul Mannan Maulvi and Maulana Nasir.

This correspondent tried several times to contact Khademul Islam Swapan, but he didn't receive the call.

MA Kuddus said he asked Swapan to send the man and woman to the police station but Swapan did not listen to his request.

Contacted, Khondaker Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) (inquiry) of Galachipa Police Station, said police were trying to arrest the accused.

"We have sent the victim to court for recording her statement," he added.