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Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Video on Rape of Schoolgirl: Police raid on, bail prayers of 3 arrestees rejected

Source: The DailyStar
Police yesterday continued raiding video shops in Pirojpur, Bhandaria and other areas to seize CDs containing footage of rape of a schoolgirl by a local leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL).
They also produced the arrested three in the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court at Pirojpur, seeking a five-day remand for them.
The arrestees are Suman Talukdar, son of Abdul Hye Talukdar and owner of Soukhin Audio-Video Corner at Gopal Krishna Town Club Market, Shahin Howladar, son of Jabbar Howladar of Khamkata and apprentice worker of Digital Mobile Servicing Centre on Pourasava Road, and Faisal Gazi, son of Siddik Gazi of Shikarpur and buyer of a CD.
The law enforcers arrested them on Monday on charge of trading in CDs containing footage of rape of the schoolgirl.
The court will hear the remand prayer today. It also rejected the bail prayers of the arrestees and sent them to jail.
Sub-Inspector Azim Howladar, also the investigation officer ( IO) of the case, said they sought remand for the three to know the whereabouts of rapist Ahsan Kabir Mamun alias Mamun Hawlader, information and research secretary of BCL district unit, and his close friend Monir Hossain alias 'Ganja' Monir who recorded the rape in his cellphone.
DB Sub-Inspector Sultan Ahmed on Monday filed a case with Pirojpur Sadar Police Station against the five on charges of rape, blackmail and distribution of obscene video footage in the market.
Asked about any possible move to net the rapist BCL leader, Pirojpur police said they would probe the matter and arrest everyone responsible for rape, record of the rape and trading of the CDs.
Md Shahidullah Chowdhury, superintendent of police, Pirojpur, told The Daily Star that they would continue their drive to seize the video footage from the market and arrest all culprits.

10 BCL ( Bangladesh Chhatra League) men rape girl

Source: The Daily star

Ten activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) allegedly gang-raped a teenage girl Friday night and were later handed down mere punishment at village arbitration arranged to ensure their escape by local Awami League leaders.
Family sources say the AL leaders compelled the victim's father not to go for legal action and also took their signatures on three blank sheets to stop any future move to that end.
Police also released two of the accused held on the spot while handing the victim over to her father early Saturday morning.
A band of 16 youths kidnapped the girl, a class VII student of Pakhimara in Kalapara upazila, Friday night when she was returning home on a rickshaw from a Puja mandap with her cousin Nasir Uddin.
The BCL men beat up Nasir, drove him away and took the girl to a nearby garden. Ten of them raped the girl until her relatives with police rushed to the scene to rescue her around 2:00am.
Sub-inspector Kabir Hossain of Kalapara police station held two of the culprits -- Rajib and Sohag -- from the spot but freed them later after handing over the girl to her family.
Later on Sunday, local AL leaders including Kalapara upazila unit Secretary Rakibul Ahsan and Upazila Parishad Vice-Chairman Sultan Mahmud arranged the arbitration at Kalapara Girls' School in the evening.
The village arbitration in a farcical judgement fined all the 16 Tk 10,000 each and that they all be whipped 100 times each.
But four days into the grisly incident the victim's father, a poor farmer, still does not dare to file a case.
He said, "Rakibul (AL leader) and his men took signatures of me and my daughter on three blank sheets asking us not to seek justice anywhere else."
Rakibul Ahsan denied the allegation. He claims, "The youths did not rape the girl, they just made an attempt. We punished them so that they don't indulge into such activities in future."
The Kalapara AL leader also denied their political identity as BCL activists dubbing them as "spoilt brats".
Contacted, Kalapara police Officer-in-Charge (OC) Ishaq Ali said they released Rajib and Sohag as the victim's father did not file any complaint.
He says he does not know anything about the village arbitration, adding the police would not file any case of their own and "take legal steps if any complaint is filed".
The gang members were identified as Rajib, Rubel, Ratul, Pobitra, Mojibur, Omer, Rana, Sohel, Regan, Lalu, Jewel, Sohag, Bappi of Nayapara, Saiful and Munim of Madrasa Road in Kalapara upazila town and Al-Amin of Dhankhali.

Hindu devotees clash in Bangladesh: 1 killed, 10 hurt

Source: The Daily star

A Swechchhasebok League leader was killed and 10 others were injured in a clash between two groups of Hindu devotees at Shyambazar in Sutrapur area in the capital yesterday.
Both the groups alleged the clash erupted over taking control of 32 kathas of land on RM Das Lane at Bhushipatti in Sutrapur.
Goutam Sarker, 34, Swechchhasebok League president of Ward No 79, succumbed to bullet injuries at a private clinic two hours after a stray bullet hit him. The source of the bullet remains unknown.
Among the injured, Pankaj, 24, was also hit by bullet.
Officer-in-Charge Tofazzal Hossain of Sutrapur police station said the clash ensued when both groups -- one from Bhushipatti and the other from Pachbari -- reached Shyampur and attacked wish chapati and stick while heading to Farashganj Ghat of Buriganga river around at 12:45am for idol immersion.
Police fired two blank shots to disperse the devotees.
“It is a planned killing and my brother was a victim of the conspiracy,” claimed Gyan Sarker, younger brother of Goutam.
“Several Hindu families have been occupying the land for years. The killing was carried out in a way so that encroachers can occupy the land taking advantage of the clash,” said Sayeed Miah, 79 No Ward Commissioner who also owns the land.
Earlier on September 11, local hoodlums allegedly vandalised idols of a temple located on the disputed property and also fired several gunshots.
Chanchal Roy, general secretary of the temple committee, said, “We have been residing on this land for generations but we do not have any documents.”
"Some local leaders prepared fake ownership documents of the land and obtained a court order in their favour," he added.