HC seeks info on rape of Bogra girl
The High Court today directed the government to inform it by April 20 what steps were taken regarding the incident of rape of a six-year-old girl in Bogra and forcing her family to leave home through arbitration.
It came up with the order on a suo moto (of its own) motion following a report published in The Daily Star today under the headline “incredulous arbitration”.
The report said that an Ahmad Ali, 62, has raped the girl twice in Nandigram upazila and forced her family to leave home quietly through village arbitration.
In the so-called arbitration in February, Ahmad Ali was only asked to give the victim a compensation of Tk 30,000.
The arbitrators said the girl had been tainted and should not be allowed to live at her home at Derahar village.
Mamun Master, Abdul Gafur and Ansar Ali were among the arbitrators. They are on good terms with the influential Ahmad, a neighbour of the victim.
The girl had to move to her aunt's house at Telihara village of Sadar upazila. She got only Tk 5,000 in compensation from the accused, according to the report.
The HC bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain also issued a rule upon the officials concerned of the government to explain why the incidents of rape of the child and holding village arbitration to settle the issue should not be declared illegal.
In the rule, it also asked the officials why appropriate legal action should not be taken against the persons responsible for the incidents, Deputy Attorney General Biswojit Roy told The Daily Star.
The home secretary, inspector general of police, deputy commissioner and superintendent of police of Bogra and officer-in-charge of Nandigram Police Station have been made respondents to the rule, he said.
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