Infuriated mother leads public torture, humiliation of couple

A couple had to flee their Rajshahi city residence yesterday morning after being publicly tortured and humiliated by a mob, led by the man's mother, who could not take the fact that her son married a woman double his age.
Rubel Ali, a makeshift restaurant employee in his early 20s, and Nilufa Khatun, 40, got married on Thursday and the two has since been residing in the rented residence beside the Bhatapara slum.
Witnesses said Rubel's mother Piari Begum, led the mob, including some relatives, to the residence on Sunday around 10:00am, dragged them out and hung garlands of shoes around their necks before parading them around the locality.
The two were then tied to bamboo poles in a field and beaten and jeered at till noon, when local ward councillor, Nuruzzaman Tuku, arrived and freed them from their agony.
Talking to The Daily Star, an infuriated Piari said, “That girl is older than me and I cannot allow this marriage.
“Rubel should have thought about his mother who did not get married again after his father's death only to raise him.”
She also alleged that Nilufa, who has three children with her first husband, got a divorce only 15 days ago.
Rajpara Police Station Officer-in-Charge Rejaul Islam claimed that he got to know about the incident only yesterday, that too from newspapers.
Although police could have been proactive and filed a case, he told The Daily Star, “How can we take legal action when there is none to complain.”
On identifying the perpetrators, he said, “The victims are not here, how can we proceed?”  
The councillor, Nuruzzaman, said he got to know about the incident from locals over the phone and had told them not to do anything till he reached the spot as he was occupied with official works. He avoided identifying the perpetrators.