Rape of indigenous girl: 5 including 2 'rapist' cops closed to police line

Rajshahi SP Anwar Kamal told The Daily Star on Saturday that action against the policemen was taken for 'a transparent probe into the incident'.

But family members of the victim claimed that police were trying to hide the facts of the incident.

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Akhter Ali and Abu Bakkar Siddique, the two police constables of Hatgangopara police investigation centre (HPIC), who were allegedly raped the indigenous girl along with three other persons were closed to Rajshahi police line.

Sub-inspector Shawkat Hossain, In-charge of HPIC was also withdrawn and transferred to Charghat, official sources said.

Basanti Muimari, eldest sister of the rape victim claimed that police were trying to hide facts as they did not include names of the two policemen who were found during the rape of the girl.

She, quoting the girl, told that policemen induced her with sleeping pill before taking her to the court and she witnessed policemen during her rape at Kanaishahar village on the night of October 17.

Anil, Sunil, Chaina and Shandhya, brothers and sisters of the rape victim also raised similar allegations while talking to journalists. They also alleged that the girl was not produced before court for conviction as police claimed.

The girl was, however, virtually kept confined at the One-stop Crisis Centre (OCC) at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) and journalists were barred to talk to her on Saturday.

Assistant Sub-inspector Shahnaj Begum who identified herself as the In-charge of the OCC, a foreign funded project to provide 'rich treatment and legal protection' to rape victims, told journalists should take permission from higher authorities for talking to the girl.

"Our superior officials told us not to allow any journalist without their notice", the female police official told when this correspondent and another journalist went to the OCC at around 10.30am.

There were no doctor at the OCC till 2pm when the journalists left the scene. When inquired, family sources of the OCC coordinator Dr Majhhar Hossain said he went to Manda upazila of Naogaon for private practice.

When contacted, RMCH deputy director Rokeya Begum told that she could do nothing unless the OCC coordinator withdraws restrictions. The coordinator could not be contacted till filing of this report despite repeated attempts.

But a senior doctor of RMCH revealed that police asked the OCC authorities not to allow any journalist to meet the girl.

However, Rajshahi SP denied the allegation and told this correspondent that police had no right to interfere into activities of an organisation like OCC.