Woman denied bail again
A Khulna court yesterday rejected the bail petition of a woman -- who was allegedly gang-raped in police custody and shown arrested in a drug-related case, reports UNB.
Khulna Judicial Magistrate Court-1 Judge Noyon Biswas rejected the bail petition, said Mominul Islam, a coordinator of Bangladesh Human Rights Implementation Organisation, providing legal assistance to the woman.
On August 2, five railway policemen allegedly raped the woman, after arresting her from a Khulna-bound train on allegations of stealing a mobile phone. She was produced before a court the next day, shown arrested with five bottles of contraband phensedyl.
However, the court ordered a medical test after the woman raised allegation of rape.
She had filed two bail petitions with Khulna chief judicial magistrate’s court on August 4 and August 7, which were both denied.
Responding to the woman’s complaint, the chief judicial magistrate’s court also directed the superintendent of railway police to file a First Information Report (FIR) against the accused under the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act, 2013.
Two probe committees, formed by Railway Police Headquarters and Pakshey Railway Police, interrogated the police officials accused of the rape, and also took statements from the woman’s family members.
Two of the accused, including the OC and an SI of the Government Railway Police Station, were also withdrawn and attached to the Pakshey Police Lines.
Later, the woman filed a case against the five policemen, including the officer-in-charge of Government Railway Police (GRP) station Osman Gani Pathan, sub-inspector Nazmul and three others on August 9.
Family members of the woman claimed to The Daily Star that they were being harassed by plainclothes men, and threatened over the phone to settle the matter outside the court.
Meanwhile, the incident has sparked outrage in Khulna, with rights activists demanding fair investigation and justice.
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