No remand hearing as accused not produced before court over security concerns

Police could not produce any accused before the court in the case filed over the rape of the eight-year-old girl in Magura, thus, no hearing on remand plea was held on Sunday.

Police said law enforcement agencies did not risk producing the accused to the court as protesters blocked the main entrance of the court.

Prior to this, students brought out a protest procession from Government Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy College in Magura around 11:00 am, demanding trial to the rape incident.

They then gathered in front of the main entrance of the Magura chief judicial magistrate court. Protesters later left the courts’ main entrance upon the assurance of the army and blocked the Dhaka-Khulna highway at Bhinar intersection.

It has been learned after talking to several officials involved in the case investigation, that the prime accused, who is the father-in-law of the victim’s elder sister, were detained on Thursday. He was sent to jail under Section 54 on Friday as the victim’s mother filed a case on Saturday. However, the accused were shown arrested, they were set to produce before the court for remand hearing.

Magura’s Sadar police station inspector (investigation) and case investigating officer Md Alauddin told Prothom Alo around 1:00 pm that the four accused are behind bars. Police appealed for seven days in remand for each of them. At around 5:00 pm, police informed the court that they could no longer produce the accused before the court due to security concerns, thus, hearing on remand plea could not be held.

Police officials made no official statement.

An official told Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, “We processed all the papers including remand appeal on Saturday night. But police could not risk producing the accused before the court since protesters surrounded the court entrance throughout the day.”

The official further said, “The protesters even demanded handing over the accused to them. Who will bear the responsibility if the accused were attacked or anything worse happens while taking them to the court?”

“The protesters seeking justice must show patience; if the investigation is delayed for them, who will bear the responsibility?” he remarked.

During the protest at the court entrance, protesting students demanded trial for the rape incident within 24 hours or else the law and the home advisers must resign.

Protesters also threatened to announce a March to Magura programme, if their demands are not met.

An army team arrived at the spot after 1:00 pm. The protesting students cleared the court area upon the assurance of police and the army officials and moved to the Magura town’s Bhinar intersection and blocked the highway. They also demanded the rapists be handed over to people.

Family alleged the child was raped on Wednesday night while visiting to her sister’s in-law’s house in Magura municipality area.

She was taken to the Magura 250-bed Hospital in an unconscious condition on Wednesday. Later, she was sent to Faridpur Medical College Hospital in the afternoon and to Dhaka Medical College Hospital at night for better treatment.

She was kept on life support on Friday. She was shifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Dhaka on Saturday afternoon as her condition deteriorated.

The victim’s mother filed a case with the Magura Sadar upazila police station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. The father-in-law, husband, mother-in-law and brother-in-law of the victim’s elder sister were named as accused in the case.