Man sentenced to life imprisonment for raping child in Chattogram

A court in Chattogram has sentenced Monir Hossain (30) to life imprisonment for the rape of a four-year-old girl in Bakalia area of the port city.

The court also fined him Tk 50,000, in default of which he will serve an additional one year in prison.

The verdict was delivered on Wednesday (17 June) afternoon by Judge Syeda Hafsa Jhumu of the Child Violence Suppression Tribunal (Metropolitan), Chattogram.

The trial was completed within eight working days of its commencement and the verdict was pronounced just 26 days after the case was filed.

The court began reading the judgment at 2:20pm and concluded at 3:00pm.

In its observations, the court said that child rape is one of the most heinous crimes against humanity. It noted that such crimes not only cause physical harm but also severely damage a child’s mental development, confidence and normal life.

The court emphasised that children are the most vulnerable members of society and ensuring their safety is a collective responsibility of the state, family and society. It added that sexual abuse of a child is not only a violation of individual rights but also an attack on the moral foundation of society.

Public Prosecutor of the Chattogram Child Violence Suppression Tribunal, Mahmudul Alam Chowdhury, said the court delivered the verdict within eight working days of the trial beginning. The accused was present in court during the judgment and was later sent to prison under court order.

Earlier, on 9 June, the tribunal framed charges against the accused, formally initiating the trial. The investigation was completed within five working days and the charge sheet in the case was submitted to the court by Bakalia Police Station on 4 June. Monir Hossain was named as the accused in the charge sheet.

According to the case statement, Monir Hossain was arrested from Chairmanghat area in Bakalia on 21 May on charges of rape. While he was being taken to the police station, angry locals demanded that he be handed over to them.

At one point, hundreds of people surrounded the police vehicle. As the situation escalated, police personnel retreated and took position. Later that night, around 8pm, police fired tear gas shells and sound grenades, which led to clashes between law enforcement and protesters.

Around 10:15pm, when electricity in the area went out, police reportedly managed to extract the accused from a building and take him into custody. Despite this, agitated locals continued protesting on the road and set a police vehicle on fire.

Police said that on 22 May, the victim’s father filed a case at Bakalia Police Station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, naming Monir Hossain as the accused.

After the verdict, the child’s mother told Prothom Alo that they were satisfied with the judgment but said they would have been even more pleased if the court had sentenced the accused to death.

Notably, two widely discussed cases were disposed of at the Chattogram court on the same day.

Earlier at around 1pm, the court sentenced Md Abir to death by hanging for the abduction and murder of five-year-old Alina Islam Ayat. The verdict was delivered by Sixth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge of Chattogram Muhammad Ali Akkas.

A large crowd of journalists and litigants gathered at the court premises in the morning as the two verdicts drew significant public attention.