Follow-up
Rangpur torture victims go 'mysteriously' missing
Two women, tortured on June 26 following an arbitration at Kashiganj village in Modhupur union of Baderganj upazila, mysteriously went missing after the upazila office of Women and Children Affairs Department lodged a case against local influential people.
However, villagers alleged that the victims--Hafiza Begum Happy and Saheda Begum--have been moved elsewhere by the influential people.
Happy and Saheda were severely beaten up by some villagers led by AL and BNP leaders in presence of Modhupur Union Parishad Chairman Aynal Haque and UP member Abdul Kader.
Moreover, a gang of criminals allegedly at the instructions of the UP chairman, UP member and other influential people beat up a reporter of an electronic media and its local correspondent on Monday when they went to the village to cover the incident.
The arbitration took place a day after Hashem Ali, husband of Happy, committed suicide at his father-in-law's house after an altercation between husband and wife over campaigning during the recently held UP election.
But the arbitrators inflicted punishment on Happy, saying that Hashem committed suicide due to mental agony caused by her in their conjugal life, and on Saheda, accusing her of instigating Happy to lock in an altercation with her husband.
One of the villagers got a video record of the torture on his mobile phone and informed a number of newsmen of Baderganj upazila on July 4.
When reports were published in a number of local and national dailies on July 6, Baderganj upazila officer of woman affair department Mahmuda Begum lodged a case against 17 villagers including the UP chairman, UP member and Awami League and BNP leaders of the union.
Police arrested three of the accused--Mahbubar Rahman and Enamul Hoque of BNP and Enamul Hoque of Awami League-- on July 7 at their houses. The rest of the accused, including the UP chairman and UP member, are still at large.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Baderganj Police Station Tobarak Hossain Sarker quoting villagers said Happy along with Saheda campaigned for UP member candidate Ilyas Ali in the recently held UP election.
Some villagers, seeking anonymity told this correspondent that Abdul Kader asked Hashem to prevent his wife from working in favour of his (Kader) rival candidate Ilyas Ali a few days before the election. Accordingly, Hashem tried to stop them from wooing votes for Ilyas, but to no effect, the villagers added.
They further said that Hashem committed suicide following an altercation with Happy over the election issue.
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