Rape of schoolgirl sparks protest in Gaibandha

Hundreds of people of Ramchandrapur union under Sadar upazila yesterday formed a human chain at Balua Bazaar demanding immediate arrest and punishment to a rapist.
Organised jointly by the Committee for Protection of Human Rights and Shacheton Nagorik Gosthi, the human chain was held on Balua-Gaibandha road for about an hour.
Police said a student of class five and 11-year old daughter of Rostum Ali came to visit her relatives at village Parvatipur in Sadar upazila. On Monday morning when she was playing on the ground of nearby primary school, local unruly youth Mithu, 20, son of Mojibar Rahman tactfully took her to a lonely place and violated her.
As the girl fell unconscious, Mithu fled away. Locals rescued her in a profusely bleeding condition and admitted to local health complex. She was later shifted to Gaibandha sadar hospital in a critical condition.
A case was filed with Gaibandha Sadar police station but police are yet to arrest the culprit.
Meanwhile, a judicial magistrate court on Tuesday granted three days police remand for the alleged killers of six-year-old Tasin.
Earlier SI Golam Rabbani sought five days remand but the court after hearing the prayer granted three days remand.
Accused Jahid, Pavel and Rubel allegedly abducted Tasin from his grandfather's home at village Khamar Pirgacha under Gaibandha Sadar on July 27 and held hostage at a secret place.
The abductors demanded Tk 10 lakh ransom from the victim's grandfather Nazrul Islam Mandol over mobile phone. They also threatened to kill the boy in case of failure to pay the ransom.
Being failed to realise the ransom the abductors killed the kid by suffocation. Police recovered the body from under water hyacinth of a marshy land on July 28 and tater arrested three people in connection with the killing.
On August 1, about a thousand people of Shahapara union besieged the Deputy Commissioner's office demanding capital punishment to Tasin's killers.