Man arrested over harassment of female tourist travelling across country on foot

A female tourist who set out to travel across the country on foot was harassed in Lalmonirhat, police said.

The incident took place in Mahendranagar area of Sadar upazila while she was walking from Lalmonirhat town towards Kurigram. Following the incident, Detective Branch (DB) of police and Sadar thana police conducted a joint operation and arrested a young man accused in the case.

The victim filed a case at Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. Lalmonirhat DB Officer-in-Charge Saad Ahmed confirmed the incident yesterday.

The arrested man has been identified as Abu Kalam, 31, of Kashipur village under Mahendranagar union.

According to police, the female tourist had been travelling on foot across different districts of the country for the past month. After arriving in Lalmonirhat, she visited several tourist spots in the district. Later, she set out on foot for Kurigram on the morning of January 11.

When she reached Mahendranagar area, about six kilometres from Lalmonirhat town, she needed to use a toilet. At that time, she went to a roadside house and sought permission to use the toilet. While returning from the toilet, Abu Kalam, a resident of the house, allegedly harassed her and attempted to outrage her modesty.

When the victim screamed, other members of the household rushed to the spot. However, instead of seeking justice, they allegedly tried to assault her by accusing her of theft. Somehow, the female tourist managed to leave the house and went live on Facebook, tearfully describing the entire incident. The video went viral on social media within moments.

In the Facebook live video, the female tourist said, “I set out to travel the country on foot one month ago. Before coming to Lalmonirhat, I visited many districts. I did not face any problems anywhere. But after coming to Lalmonirhat, I had to face such an unpleasant situation.”

She further said, “It is very painful to think about our social system. I was harassed and sought justice, but instead, an attempt was made to label me a thief.”

Yesterday afternoon, the victim told journalists that after watching her Facebook live video, DB police quickly arranged for her security.

“I do not know the accused man. But the police identified him within a short time and arrested him,” she said.

OC Saad said, “After watching the Facebook live video, we took immediate action. After the incident, the accused fled his house. Later, with the help of the local police, he was arrested.”

He added that the victim is now in a stable condition and has once again set out to travel the country on foot.