Rape, Repression: HC blames it on moral degradation

Expressing concern over the rape and repression of women across the country, the High Court yesterday observed that the moral degradation reached such a situation that these kinds of incidents are taking place repeatedly.

There were previous reported allegations against Sonagazi madrasa's principal Siraj Ud Doula of sexual assaults on female students, but the governing body of the institution did not take any action against him, the HC said, adding that if it took action then student Nusrat Jahan Rafi would not have faced such deplorable consequences.

The HC bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader said children and mothers were becoming victims of rape and such incidents were taking place all over the country.

All concerned authorities, including politicians, teachers, students, guardians and governing body members, have to be aware and must play roles to prevent such incidents, the court said.         

The bench came up with the observation while hearing the writ petition filed challenging the local administration's inaction and failure to take legal action against the people responsible for the rape and suicide of a woman in Noakhali's Subarnachar upazila in March.

Advocate Muntasir Mahmud Rahman submitted the writ to the HC on March 4 following newspaper reports published on March 3 saying that a woman named Poly Akter, 22, in Subarnachar “died by suicide after she was raped by one Alauddin”.

Yesterday, the HC issued a rule asking the respondents to explain in four weeks why their inaction and failure to take action against those responsible for the rape and suicide of Poly Aktar, and instead holding an arbitration to settle the incident, should not be declared illegal.

LGRD secretary, deputy commissioner of Noakhali, officer-in-charge of Subarnachar Police Station, and the chairman and members concerned of Mohammadpur union parishad have been made respondents to the rule.  

Advocate Muntasir Mahmud Rahman told The Daily Star that local union parishad members and local “influential people” detained Alauddin, held arbitration and fined him Tk 60,000 after he allegedly raped Poly Aktar on March 1.

The following day, Poly drank poison and doctors declared her dead after she was taken to Noakhali General Hospital, he added.

Deputy Attorney General ABM Abdullah Al Mahmud Bashar appeared for the state.