A Dhaka Court on Sunday sentenced three people to death for killing a woman and her son in the city's Kakrail area in 2017.

The convicts are—Abdul Karim, husband of the victim Shamsunnahar, Sharmin Mukta, second wife of Karim and his brother Al Amin alias Jony.

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Judge Rabiul Islam of Dhaka Additional Metropolitan Court-3 handed down the verdict.

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The court also fined them Tk 20,000 each.

On January 10, the court fixed today for delivering the judgment in the case after concluding arguments.

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According to the prosecution, Samsunnahar, 45, wife of Karim and her son Shaon were hacked to death by miscreants at their Kakrail residence on November 1, 2017.

Shamsunnahar’s brother Ashraf Ali filed a case at Ramna Police Station the next day.

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On July 16, 2018, police submitted charge sheet against three people.

On January 31, 2019, a Dhaka court indicted three people in the case.

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Police have arrested a representative of a pharmaceutical company for allegedly raping a schoolgirl in Brahmanbaria on the pretext of false promise of marriage.  

The arrestee was identified as Limon Hosen Khan, son of Ashraf Ali Khan of Chandradighalia village under Sadar Upazila of Gopalganj. He was posted as Medical Information Officer at Brahmanbaria Sadar in the Infusion Department of Orion Pharmaceuticals. 

Limon was arrested from his rented house near Tank Para after the victim filed a case against him at Sadar Model Police Station on Friday night, said Inspector Abul Hasan Khan, in-charge of No. 1 police outpost. 

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According to the statement, the victim was introduced to the perpetrator when her elder sister went to Brahmanbaria General Hospital for treatment. They kept in touch with each other over the phone and at one stage, Limon asked her to marry him. 

Last Sunday, he told the victim to come to Brahmanbaria where they would get married. But instead of going to the marriage registrar, he took her to his place and raped her.

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The victim later filed a case accusing Limon of rape and threatening to kill her. She has been sent to Brahmanbaria General Hospital for medical examination. 

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Brahmanbaria Sadar Model Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Abdur Rahim confirmed the incident and said a representative of a pharmaceutical company has been arrested in the rape case. 

The court has sent Limon to jail.

Death penalty for rape

Last year, during countrywide protests against gang rapes, the government amended the law and made death penalty the highest punishment for rape.

But the change has failed to deter rapists.

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Between Oct 13 – when the President promulgated an ordinance on death penalty for rape – and Dec 31 last year, 160 incidents of rape took place, according to Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK).

Last year, 1,627 women became a victim of rape. Fifty-three of them were killed after rape and 14 of the victims took their own lives, ASK said.

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But the actual number is believed to be higher as many victims choose not to report assaults fearing their safety.

A member of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) who was stabbed by some miscreants over putting up anti-drug posters, died at Chittagong Medical College Hospital on Friday.

The deceased was identified as Ashikur Rahman Rohit, 20, BCL activist of MES College.

Officer-in-Charge of Bakolia Police Station Nezam Uddin said some miscreants attacked Rohit on January 8 in Dewan Bazar of Bakolia in Chattogram city, leaving him severely injured.

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He was admitted to the CMCH where he succumbed to his injuries on Friday morning, OC said.

Victim’s brother Jahidur Rahman filed a case accusing three people over the matter.

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Jahidur Rahman said the arguments emerged after some miscreants tried to tear apart some anti-drug posters which Rohit had earlier put up on the walls on January 5.

They had also threatened Rohid after the dispute and later plan-fully attacked him on January 8 afternoon, Rahman alleged.

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Meanwhile, local BCL men demonstrated and blocked the Gulzar intersection of Chawkbazar at 11 am seeking arrest of the attackers.

The High Court on Thursday issued a rule asking why recording biometric data – fingerprints and iris scans – should not be made mandatory for birth registrations.

The bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Md Khairul Alam passed the order after hearing a writ filed by human rights activist Arifur Rahman Murad Bhuiyan.

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Deputy Attorney General Tushar Kanti Roy stood for the state while Arifur placed arguments on his petition.

The registrar general of birth and death registration, local government, rural development and cooperatives ministry secretary, public safety secretary of the home ministry and inspector general of police were asked to respond to the rule in four weeks.    

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Arifur Rahman filed the writ on March 12 last year so that dead bodies of unidentified people, criminals, and missing persons could be identified through fingerprints and iris scans.

A writ petition was filed with the High Court on Thursday seeking an exclusive compartment for female passengers in the trains.

Advocate Md Azmal Hossain moved the writ petition filed by Advocate Mamtaz Parvin on January 13.

Also read: Writ filed for treating sexual violence against men, boys as rape

Passenger trains should preserve a separate compartment for women, Azmal said.

“According to Section 64 of the Railways Act 1890, at least a carriage has to be exclusively reserved for women in every passenger train and there is provision for penalty if anyone enters that room without permission,” the lawyer said.

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On October 13, 2020, Azmal had sent a legal notice to the railway ministry seeking actions within 30 days over arranging a separate compartment for women in trains.

“The writ has been filed as no measures were taken in this connection,” Azmal said.