Police yesterday arrested two accused in a case filed for raping a 12-year-old girl of Sardarergaon village of Sylhet Sadar upazila.

The accused are -- Jashim (22) and Ekhlas (20). They were arrested from Sunamganj and Sylhet, said Md Shah Alam, inspector (investigation) of Jalalabad Police Station. 

As per the case statement, on September 6, the fifth grader went out of the house to use the restroom. She was kidnapped and raped by one accused with help of another.

Influential locals told the victim's family not to lodge any case, and assured of arranging a village arbitration to settle the matter, alleged the girl's father. He filed a case with Jalalabad Police Station on September 14, accusing the duo.

But since the case was filed, influential locals started putting more pressure on the victim's father -- a fisherman and a low caste Hindu -- the complainant alleged.

Meanwhile, protesting the rape, Bangladesh Hindu Bouddha Christian Oikya Parishad and Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad formed a human chain in front of Sylhet Central Saheed Minar yesterday, demanding justice.

City Mayor Ariful Haque Choudhury, former AL organising secretary Misbah Uddin Siraj, and former president of Sylhet District Bar Association EU Shahidul Islam were present at the human chain, among others.