One held, 17 sued

Police arrested a man on Thursday in connection with Tuesday's caning of a housewife in Pirganj upazila of Rangpur.

In the meantime, on Friday, the victim has filed a case with Pirganj Police Station accusing a total of 17 individuals -- seven of them were named and 10 unnamed.

The arrestee, Nayeb Ali, has been sent to custody at Rangpur jail said Rezaul Karim, officer-in-charge (OC) of Pirganj Police Station.

The seven of the named accused were present on the spot as members of the village arbitration committee formed on Tuesday and Nayeb Ali took part in the caning, the OC added.  

Locals said Nayeb Ali's wife is a ward member of Choitrakol Union Parishad in the upazila.

The names of the other six mentioned in the case are Aktar Hossain -- ward 9 member in the same UP, Delwar Hossain -- former chairman of the UP, Babul Mia, Abdul Baten, Halim Uddin and Emdadul Haque. All the accused are from Hajipara village in the upazila.

A team of police has visited the spot on Thursday night and all the other accused -- currently at large -- will be apprehended, OC Rezaul told this correspondent.

The role of the incumbent UP chairman Ziaur Rahman Sabuj is also under investigation as the locals have raised their concern over his indifference following the incident, the OC added.

On Tuesday night, August 16, in a clear violation of a Supreme Court verdict on religious edicts, the woman in Pirganj was caned 101 times and a man 20 times over an alleged extramarital affair after a village arbitration committee -- led by UP member Aktar Hossain -- gave a ruling to punish the man and the woman.