A 14-year-old girl has been gang-raped while returning at night from a waz mahfil in Sarail upazila of Brahmanbaria.
The girl's family alleges that a local group stopped them from filing a case by talking of a settlement. The girl's mother finally filed a case with Sarail Police Station on Saturday (October 18) night, naming six people.
The accused are Zakir Mia (33), Naim (24), Sohag Mia (21), Mokles (52), Alamin alias Zikir (40) and Bahar Mia (22). All of them live in Barira village of the same union. Police arrested Bahar Mia that night.
The girl's relatives and police said a waz mahfil was being held on a madrasa field in the village on October 7. The girl left home to attend it. The accused allegedly covered her mouth on the way and took her in an auto-rickshaw to a secluded spot on a riverbank.
There, Zakir, Naim and Sohag raped her, they said. The others tried but failed. Around 11:00PM, the accused left her near her home and fled. They also threatened to kill her if she told anyone.
The girl could not bear the physical pain and told her family what had happened. She was admitted to Brahmanbaria General Hospital last Thursday (October 15). She is receiving treatment there.
Hospital superintendent Dr Ratan Kumar Dhali said the girl was admitted several days after the incident. There is a greater risk that evidence has been lost. Even so, samples have been collected and sent for tests. The matter will be clear once the report arrives, he said.
The girl's father said some local notables assured them of justice after the matter became known in the village. They also told the family not to go to the police. This delayed their visit to the police. When the notables wasted a long time and did not resolve the matter, the family filed the case on Saturday night to seek legal remedy, he said.
Sarail Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Manjur Kader Bhuiyan confirmed the matter. He said police raided a place that night after the case was filed and arrested Bahar. Efforts are on to arrest the other accused. An investigation has begun.
PT/ra
