Shielding the rapists

We are appalled to hear that the police at Tetulia, Panchagarh earlier refused to register a case against two rapists who repeatedly raped a girl and blackmailed her threatening to release a video clip of the incident, leading the girl to commit suicide.

Police filed a case of "unnatural death". Officer-in-charge of Tetulia Police Suresh Chandra initially said they would file another case only upon receiving the autopsy report. We do not understand why the police would have to wait for the autopsy report to file a case against two rapists who, the family of the victims said, had provoked the girl to take her own life.

Local police illogically defended their decision by arguing that multiple cases cannot be filed for a single incident and that they could file another case only after the initial case of unnatural death is resolved.

The law of this land certainly does not oblige the police to have the autopsy report in order to record the complaint of incitement to suicide. It is evident by the fact that the police, as our correspondent tells us, called the girl's uncle to say that they would file the case., which they finally did yesterday

So, why did the police not take the case initially? One wonders whether it was just yet another attempt to shield the perpetrators, giving them enough time to flee. The brother of one of the rapists, is very close to a powerful local leader of the ruling party.

We call on the authorities, firstly, to investigate the case swiftly with all seriousness, and secondly, take disciplinary actions against those in the police force who failed to act in accordance with the law.