Man gets life imprisonment for rape

Housewife gang-raped in JashoreProthom Alo illustration

A tribunal in Kushtia on Sunday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping a woman in 2019, reports UNB.

The convict was identified as Mohammad Jewel, 32, son of Billal Hossain of Kumarkhali upazila in the district.

Judge Munshi Mohammad Mashier Rahman of Kushtia Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal also fined Jewel Tk 100,000. He will have to serve six more months’ rigorous imprisonment if he fails to pay the fine.

According to the prosecution, the convict raped the wife of his neighbour on 3 September 2019.

The victim’s husband filed a case at Kumarkhali Police Station.

On 28 November 2019, police submitted chargesheet against Jewel.

Bangladesh has seen a rise in sexual assaults on women and children in recent months. According to Ain o Salish Kendra, nearly 1,000 rape cases were reported between January and September, including over 200 gang rapes.

In the face of continuous protests, the government recently incorporated death penalty in the law as the highest punishment for the crime.