Criminals still at large

The youths, who were allegedly involved in gang-raping a schoolgirl in Sadar upazila on Friday night, are yet to be arrested.

The girl, 16, an SSC candidate and only daughter of a poor widow of Dewanipara village in Kendua union, attended a religious gathering at local Hafijia Madrasa ground in the village along with her mother and a cousin, a Class VII student of a local Dakhil madrasa.

A gang of youths led by a local Jubo League leader caught the two girls when they went to buy snacks from a makeshift shop near the ground at around 11:00pm and forcibly tried to take them to a lonely place.

After a scuffle, the cousin managed to free herself while the gang took the victim to Abirerchar, over half a kilometre away from the religious gathering, and raped her, said Inspector Tariqul Islam, investigation officer (IO) of the case. They left her there when she became unconscious, he added.

Some people found the girl lying unconscious when they were returning to their houses after the function and took her to her house.

Victim's mother filed a rape case accusing Sabbir Hossain Akanda Setu, 23, president of ward No-3 unit of union Jubo League and son of Abdul Mannan Akanda of Gopalpur village, Rifat, 22, son of late Alal Uddin, Babu, 24, son of Mostafa of Defulibari village, Minhaj, 23, son of Aftab Uddin, Shakil, 23 of Dewanipara village, and four to five other unnamed people, with Sadar Police Station on Sunday.

The victim was admitted to Jamalpur General Hospital on Saturday night, the IO said, quoting the victim's mother.

A three-member board led by Dr Fakria Alam, gynaecologist of the hospital, was formed to examine the victim, Civil Surgeon Goutom Roy said.

The examination was done on Sunday and the report was submitted to the legal authorities concerned, said Dr Fakria, adding that the victim was released from the hospital in the evening as she felt a little comfortable physically.

“But the girl was grievously mentally shocked and it will take time for her to recover from the shock,” added Fakria.

“The girl is now uncertain about appearing in the SSC exam, scheduled to be held on February 1, as she is still traumatised,” said the the victim's paternal uncle Rafiqul Islam.

“We are raiding different areas to arrest the accused but are yet to capture any of them as they went into hiding soon after the incident. Nonetheless, we expect to arrest them within a short time,” the IO said.

Meanwhile, the union Jubo League expelled Setu from the party on charge of his alleged involvement in the gang rape, confirmed Farhan Ahmed, general secretary of the district Jubo League.