A seven-year-old girl has been raped allegedly by a brick kiln worker as she was alone at their Shotokhali home in Shalikha upaizla of Magura district.

The victim’s mother filed a case with Shalikha Police Station on Friday evening, a day after the incident, said Tariqul Islam, officer-in-charge of the police station.

According to the case statement, the parents of the girl went out of their home on Thursday morning for work at a brick kiln in Shotokhali, leaving behind their child alone.

Sensing the situation, Hanif, a brick kiln worker and son of Arshad Ali of Paikgachcha upazila in Khulna district, reportedly went to the victim’s house and violated her.

When the victim’s mother returned home, she found her girl crying and took her to a local hospital. The little girl is now undergoing treatment at a one-stop-crisis centre in the district, the OC said.

Later, the victim’s mother filed a case against Hanif.

Police said they are trying to arrest the accused.

Also read: Bangladesh introduces death penalty for rape

Also read: Death penalty fails to deter rapes

Also read: Four held over RMG worker’s ‘gang rape’ in Ashulia

Rapes in Bangladesh

Rape cases are on the rise in Bangladesh although the government has introduced death penalty for the heinous crime.

According to data compiled by Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), a rights group, 1,018 children were raped last year alone, but only 683 cases were filed with police stations. Among them, 116 victims were 6 years old or below.

Overall, 1,627 rape cases were reported last year and 53 of the victims were killed by the perpetrators after the crime while 14 took their own lives, the ASK data reveals.

In November last, Bangladesh introduced the death penalty for rape, following days of protests against sexual violence against women.

In October last, the country was rocked by huge protests after a woman was attacked and raped in Noakhali district. In another case in Sylhet a week later, a woman was gang raped at a hostel, triggering nationwide protests again.

Thousands of people who depend on public vehicles for their daily commute, have been hit hard by the 24-hour transport strike in Khulna.

Local transporter's association has said that the decision to suspend the movement of public transport on as many as 18 roads in Khulna from 6 pm on Friday has been taken to avoid any untoward incident during BNP's divisional assembly on Saturday.

Anwar Hossain Sona, joint secretary of the Khulna District Bus-Minibus-Coach Owners' Association, said, "There is a possibility of chaos at the BNP assembly. So, no public transport will either leave or enter the city from 6 pm on Friday to 6 pm on Saturday."

Non-availability of launch and ferry services in the district since Saturday morning added to the woes of the commuters.

Khulna city unit president Nazrul Islam, however, alleged that the transport and launch services were halted in the district to foil BNP’s programme.

On Saturday, BNP is slated to hold its divisional assembly in Khulna led by former mayoral candidates in six cities of the country, in demand for free and fair civic elections and Begum Khaleda Zia's release.

BNP vice-chairman Barrister Shahjahan Omar Biruttam will address the assembly as the chief guest. BNP senior vice-chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu, vice-chairman Nitai Roy Chowdhury and joint secretary-general Moazzem Hossain Alal will be special guests.

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At least four persons have been killed in two separate road accidents in Khulna and Satkhira in the past 24 hours, police said Saturday.

In Satkhira, two brick kiln workers were killed after a tractor trolley hit them in the  Taltola area of Satkhira district town early on Saturday morning.

The deceased were identified as Maanirul Islam, 40, son of Abdus Samad Kha, and Mohammad Ali, 35, son of Ishraf Ali of Bakchara village in Sadar upazila.

Quoting witnesses, sub-inspector of Sadar Police Station Mehedi said the accident occurred round 5 am when the victims were on their way to a brick kiln.

The two died on the spot, the official said, adding the bodies have been sent to Satkhira Sadar Hosptial morgue for autopsy.

In Khulna city, two men were killed when a truck hit their bike in Arongghata on Friday night. The deceased were identified as Miraz, 28, and Mohamamd Fahad, 26, of Barishal district.

The accident occurred around 11.30 pm when a Ruphsa Bridge-bound truck hit the bike, killing the biker and the pillion rider on the spot, said Rezaul Karim, officer-in-charge of Arongghata Police Station.

The bodies were taken to Khulna Medical College and Hospital.

Road accidents in Bangladesh

Road accidents in Bangladesh continue to claim hundreds of lives every year.

At least 484 people were killed and 673 injured in 427 road accidents in January this year.

According to Road Safety Foundation (RSF) accident rates jumped by 25.58 percent and fatalities by 8.76 percent in January this year compared to the same period last year.

At least 445 lives were lost in 340 road accidents in January 2020, according to RSF.

In a report released in February 2020, the World Bank said that Bangladesh needed to invest an estimated extra $7.8 billion over the next decade to halve its road crash fatalities.

The report attributed the high death rate on Bangladesh’s roads to lack of investments in systemic, targeted, and sustained road safety programmes.
Also read: 4 of a family among 11 killed in Sylhet, Gaibandha, Habiganj road accidents

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A two-member committee has been constituted by the local administration to investigate into the custodial death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed.

Mushtaq died of a heart attack Thursday at the high-security Kashimpur prison, where he had been lodged since August last year. He was arrested in May 2020 in a case filed under the Digital Security Act and charged with spreading disinformation against the government on social media.

"As far as we know Mushtaq collapsed in a washroom of the prison on Thursday evening. Later he was taken to Shaheed Tajuddin Medical college and Hospital, where he was declared dead,” said Gazipur deputy commissioner SM Tariqul Islam.

"The two-member probe panel was formed on Friday night to investigate if there was any negligence during his treatment," he said, adding the committee has been asked to submit its report within two days.

The committee members are Executive Magistrate Mohamamd Wasiuzzaman Chowdhury and Umme Habiba Farzana.

Also read: Writer Mushtaq, arrested under DSA, dies in custody

Mushtaq suffered a heart attack inside his cell at Kashimpur prison on Thursday evening, UNB has learnt.

"He was rushed to Shaheed Tajuddin Medical College Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival," Senior Jail Superintendent Md Gias Uddin said.

Mushtaq's body was handed over to his family on Friday after an autopsy. He was laid to rest that night at Azimpur graveyard, following a namaj-e-janaza in Lalmatia after Isha prayers.

An unnatural death case has been filed at the Gazipur Metropolitan Police's Sadar Police Station in connection with Mushtaq's custodial death.

Also read: Writer Mushtaq's body handed over to family after autopsy

The 53-year-old writer, who published the book "Kumir Chaasher Diary" under the pen name Michael Kumir Thakur, was picked up by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel from his Lalmatia home on May 2, allegedly for posts critical of the government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

On August 20, he was shifted to Kashimpur prison, Gias Uddin said.

Calls for Mushtaq's release were widespread and sustained throughout his time in prison. Soon after his arrest, more than 300 dignitaries in Bangladesh issued a joint statement demanding his release, including cartoonist Ahmed Kishore.

Also read: Writer Mushtaq's death in custody triggers protests

However, his bail applications were turned down on at least four occasions.

Mushtaq's death triggers protest

Hundreds of students, teachers, and civil society members offered a ghaibana namaz-e-janaza (funeral prayers in absentia) for Mushtaq on Friday in front of the National Museum in Shahbagh.

Also read: Writer Mushtaq laid to rest

However, police baton-charged the left-leaning organisation members who were demonstrating at TSC of Dhaka University that evening over the death of Mushtaq.

At one stage, police fired teargas, forcing the protesters to take up positions in front of the central mosque of Dhaka University. At least 20 protesters were reportedly injured in the clash.

A police constable was arrested in Rangamati Friday morning (February 26) over raping a teenager in Fulgazi, Feni.

The arrestee has been identified as Constable Touhidul Islam Shaon (21). The accused was working in an outpost in Rangamati.

Feni Judicial Magistrate's Court on Friday sent accused Touhidul Islam Shaon to jail.

Also read: Bangladesh introduces death penalty for rape

Earlier on  February 26, the victim schoolgirl testified against the rape accused in the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Kamrul Hasan under section 22. She is a ninth grader at a school in Fulgazi. The victim gave birth to a daughter on February 12.

Court sources informed, Shaon got involved with the student a year ago while working at Fulgazi Police Station based on his previous acquaintance. The girl became pregnant. But Shaon refused to marry her.

Also read: Death penalty fails to deter rapes

Police said, as a result of the rape, the girl gave birth to a daughter on February 11 at the Fulgazi Upazila Health Complex. However, under the pressure of the accused, the child has been secretly adopted elsewhere. On February 25, the student filed a case with Fulgazi Police Station.

The case was registered as the girl was taken to a house in Feni with false promise of marriage, and she was drugged with juice and raped several times. When she was regaining consciousness at one stage, Shaon threatened to spread offensive videos and pictures of her on Facebook if she protested. 

Also read: Four held over RMG worker’s ‘gang rape’ in Ashulia

When the accused policeman was informed about the matter, he avoided it with various tactics. The student testified in the case and made such a statement before the magistrate on the afternoon of February 25. In the evening, court inspector Golam Jilani admitted to receiving a statement under section 22 in court.

Police will continue their operation to arrest the other accused in the case.