Rape of indigenous housewife triggers protest in Tangail
Indigenous leaders here yesterday demanded exemplary punishment to a culprit for rape of an indigenous housewife in Sakhipur upazila and withdrawal of 'false' case against the victim's family.
Several hundred indigenous people belonging to Koch, Barmon and Garo tribes of Tangail and Gazipur districts demonstrated at Tangail Shaheed Minar premises yesterday and held a protest rally there to press the demand.
Tribal Welfare Association of Sakhipur and Bangladesh Adivasi Odhikar Andolan jointly organised the protest rally.
With Sakhipur Tribal Welfare Association chairman Rabindra Kumar Barmon in the chair, Gano Forum presidium member Pankaj Bhattachariya, prominent writer Syed Abul Moksud and general secretary of Bangladesh Adivasi Odhikar Andolan Prof Mezbah Kamal addressed the rally as the main speakers.
Indigenous leaders Rakhi Mrong, Sulekha Mrong, Romesh Kumar Koch, Govinda Chandra Barmon, Shree Liton Chakma, Ashish Kumar Barmon, Bikash Chandra Barmon, Sunil Kumar Barmon and Shahidul Islam, Sadhan Chandra Chakroborty, Aiyub Rana, Emdadul Haque and advocate Rafiqul Islam, also spoke.
Indigenous leaders alleged at the rally that an indigenous housewife, aged about 40, at Bhuayid village under Kakrajan union in Sakhipur upazila was raped by one Helal Hossen, 35, of the same village on July 17 mid-night.
Although the victim filed a case against the alleged culprit with Sakhipur police station on July 19, police did not arrest him. Helal is moving freely after getting bail from the High Court on August 12, they said.
The indigenous leaders further alleged that although the mobile phone set and sandal of the rapist were recovered from the victim's house and the culprit's family also admitted his involvement, local police did not take any step in this regard.
Moreover, the rapist's elder brother filed an abduction case against three relatives of the victim on July 25.
When the three relatives came to a Tangail court for bail, they were sent to jail. Later, the three got bail after passing 15 days in jail, they said.
The medical enquiry team in their report also mysteriously mentioned that the victim herself had allowed the rape, the indigenous speakers alleged.
They lamented that the victim and her family members are facing harassment regularly while the rapist is going scot-free under the nose of the law enforcers.
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