HR commission report on Subarnachar rape dubious

Doubts have arisen concerning the National Human Rights Commission inquiry committee report regarding the gang rape of a woman in Subarnachar, Noakhali, on the night of the recent parliamentary election. The incident has been investigated by reliable international media and it was revealed that there had been confrontation with the victim at the polling centre, and later that night, when the results were published, she was gang raped. The police took up the matter, arrested six persons and, detained another seven on allegations of involvement in the incident. Seven of them have given confessional statements.

It is a common knowledge that the arrested miscreants used their claimed affiliation with the ruling party when carrying out the heinous act. The commission says their report is just a primary one, yet the NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) chairman, before completion of the investigations, has gone ahead to state that there is no ‘proof’ to this claim. The prudence of such a statement is questionable and smacks of taking sides. Some may show reasons that the final report will reveal the same results. But it is not enough for our ‘independent’ human rights commission to say so. They must come up with adequate evidence and proof to back their conclusion.

We hope NHRC doesn’t leave investigations into this incident hanging in limbo as it has done in several other cases. They must submit the final report in this regard within reasonable time. The people look towards their report for answers.

Media reports state that the local Awami League and the local administration are embarrassed by this incident. The former UP member, with whom the victim is said to have ‘previous enmity’, has been expelled. The media has also established that the victim had altercation with the accused over casting her vote. Yet the commission chairman simply puts this down to ‘previous enmity’.

We have seen in the past too, the human rights commission has failed to uphold people’s rights or address the issues effectively. Their inquiry reports on extrajudicial killings and other issues sensitive for the government, hardly ever see light of day. The previous chairman of the human rights commission may not have been able to take due action, but at least he raised his voice. Now even that voice has been stifled. Innumerable human rights violations took place before the 30 December election, but the commission opted to remain silent. There is no indication whatsoever that the human rights commission actually protects human rights.

This woman, under treatment in a Noakhali hospital, is a leader of the landless. She was abused for having taken a stand on behalf of the deprived people. Even on 13 January, speaking to Prothom Alo, the hospitalised victim said that she had been threatened for voting for the ‘sheaf of paddy’ (BNP’s election symbol), and the miscreants had said she would be taught a lesson.  We want to ask the human rights commission chairman, if the ‘previous enmity’ was an old one, why was revenge taken on the night of the election? It is no secret that miscreants regularly carry out their misdeeds in the name of the ruling party.

During the inquiry, what did the victim tell the commission chairman? If she didn’t say anything, how could he conclude that this was a matter of ‘previous enmity’?