DU student’s rape at Kurmitola: Hearing on charge framing set for Aug 16

A tribunal in Dhaka has fixed August 16 for hearing on charge framing against Md Majnu in a case filed over the rape of a Dhaka University student in the capital's Kurmitola area.

Judge Mosammat Quamrunnahar of the 7th Special Tribunal for Prevention of Women and Children Repression set the date on Thursday.

The tribunal also directed the jail authorities to produce the accused before it on the scheduled date.

The order came following a direction from the Supreme Court on July 30 to reopen regular courts.

On March 16, Detective Branch Inspector Abu Bakar Siddique, also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted the charge sheet against Majnu, the lone accused in the case, to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court in Dhaka.

The IO also brought charges of assaulting, snatching mobile phone, wristwatch and money from the victim's possession.

On January 5, a DU student was raped while she was walking from Kurmitola bus stop to a friend's house near Shewra Railgate around 7:30pm after getting off a university bus.

She regained consciousness around 10:00pm, after which she somehow managed to make it to her friend's house. Her friend later took her to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

The next day, the girl's father filed a case with Cantonment Police Station, accusing unknown people.

On January 8, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested 30-year-old Majnu from Shewra area.  On January 16, Majnu gave a confessional statement to a Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate.