A destitute woman in her sixties came to Dhaka from Narayanganj with a few other local women on 2 September last year. They begged for alms in different parts of the capital, including Kamalapur. While the others returned to Narayanganj a couple of days later, she stayed back in hopes of receiving more help.
After roaming around all day on 6 September, she arrived in front of the Ramna Kali Temple around 1:00 am. There, a group of seven to eight individuals lured her to the nearby glass tower with the promise of financial help. The woman was then gang-raped and eventually lost consciousness.
Upon receiving a call on the national emergency number 999, members of the Shahbagh Police Station rescued her in an unconscious state and took her to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
A case was filed against unidentified individuals in connection with the incident. However, even after seven and a half months, the police have yet to identify any of the perpetrators.
The investigation officer of the case, Inspector (Investigation) Asaduzzaman of Shahbagh Police Station, told Prothom Alo that despite sincere efforts, it has not been possible to arrest those involved in the woman’s rape.
An investigation by Prothom Alo revealed that from 1 August last year to 15 March this year, 17 cases of gang rape were recorded in Dhaka city. During the same period, 216 cases of rape and 27 cases of attempted rape were also filed. Most of the victims of gang rape were young girls and housewives.
Fahmida Akhter, a lawyer at the One-Stop Crisis Centre (OCC) of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, told Prothom Alo that several young women had recently been admitted to the hospital after being gang-raped. Among the victims was a garment worker. Several other children and young women have also received treatment at the OCC after being raped.
Arfan Uddin Khan, former public prosecutor of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal in Dhaka, believes that incidents of rape, gang rape, and murder following rape are occurring in the city due to the fragile state of law and order.
Not all accused have been arrested
Documents from a case filed on charges of gang rape state that the victim is a 21-year-old woman who lives in Old Dhaka with her husband. Her husband, previously employed at a private organisation, lost his job.
In an effort to support the family, the woman began looking for work. During this time, she became acquainted with a young man named Riad.
On 29 November last year, Riad called her to the Turag area under the pretext of discussing a job opportunity. Later that evening, three individuals raped her after luring her to the side of a lake.
A few days after the incident, the victim’s mother filed a case with Turag Police Station, naming three individuals. However, police have so far arrested only one of the accused.
The investigating officer of the case, Inspector Amena Khatun of the Women Support and Investigation Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), told Prothom Alo that the arrestee, named Sabbir, along with two others, raped the woman. Sabbir has given a confessional statement in court, and efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining suspects.
A class-eight girl lived with her parents in Dakshinkhan area in the capital. On 16 January, she left her home telling her parents that she was going for shopping but did not return home afterwards. On 19 January, the girl’s father filed a general diary (GD) with Dakshinkhan police station.
Later on 2 February, the police recovered the girl’s body from Hatirjheel. Two youths, who were arrested in connection to the incident, told the police that five of them had raped her by tying her hands and feet before killing her.
Assistant commissioner (Dakshinkhan Zone) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police in Uttara division, Md Nasim E-Gulshan said that efforts are on to arrest the remaining three involve in this incident.
Another 14-year-old girl lives with her parents in Kadamtali area of the capital. She was going to her aunt’s house at around 11:00 pm on the night of 20 January when five young men cornered her. They then dragged her to an abandoned house nearby and gang raped her. The girl’s father filed a case with the police station in this incident. The police have been able to arrest only three of them so far.
Deputy commissioner (DC) of the media and public relation division of DMP, Mohammad Talebur Rahman told Prothom Alo that after the incidents of rape and gang rape comes to the attention of police, the criminals involved in these incidents are arrested and brought to justice. However, it may not have been possible to arrest everyone involved in one or two incidents.
‘Concerning news’
Sources concerned say that between August last year and 15 March this year, two cases of gang rape were registered at each of the capital’s Turag, Kadamtali, Jatrabari, and Demra police stations. Meanwhile, one gang rape case was filed at each of Kamrangirchar, Lalbagh, Banani, Mohammadpur, Pallabi, Bhashantek, Kafrul, Shah Ali, and Darussalam police stations.
Advisor to the National Women’s Lawyers Association and human rights activist Salma Ali condemned the failure to arrest all the accused involved in incidents of rape, gang rape, and murder after rape. She told Prothom Alo that it is extremely concerning that so many rapes and gang rapes have taken place in Dhaka city alone within just seven and a half months.
She added that when police fail to arrest everyone involved in a rape case and the perpetrators remain beyond the reach of justice, it creates deep anguish in the conscience of the victim. Salma Ali stressed that everyone involved in every rape incident must be arrested and brought to justice.