Railway official sued over 'rape' in Rajshahi

A case has been filed against an official of Bangladesh Railway, Rajshahi as he allegedly raped a housewife in Boalia area of Rajshahi.

The accused is Moin Uddin Azad, 42, station master of Rajshahi railway station, reports UNB.

The victim filed a case with Boalia model police station on Tuesday night.

The victim alleged that Azad asked her to go to his home on Sunday afternoon to take a book on the recruitment test.

Azad raped the woman when she went to his house to bring the book, she said.

Officer-in-charge of Boalia police station Nibaran Chandra Barman said they are trying to track the railway official who has been on the run after the incident.

Bangladesh's tough anti-rape law

Countrywide mass protests against gang rapes had prompted the government to amend the law to ensure maximum penalty for rape last November. But the tough change has failed to deter the crime.

Between 13 October - when the president promulgated an ordinance on death penalty for rape - and 31 December last year, 160 incidents of rape took place, according to Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK).

Last year, 1,627 women became a victim of rape. Fifty-three of them were killed after rape and 14 of the victims took their own lives, ASK said.

But the actual number is believed to be higher as many victims choose not to report assaults fearing their safety.

The conviction rate for rape in Bangladesh is below 1 per cent, according to the Human Rights Watch.