Girl 'raped' in police station

Five police Constables have allegedly raped an adolescent girl in their custody at Gaibandha’s Govindaganj Police Station.

According to a case on a court order, the girl has been identified by police as a 17-year-old who hailed from Bhanga in Faridpur district. She is currently at safe custody in Gaibandha district jail.

According to Govindaganj Police Station’s OC Sheikh Delwar Hossain, locals tipped police about a girl in tears near Dhaka-Rangpur highway on Sep 28 evening.

A police team, led by Sub-Inspector Akmal Hossain, had picked up the girl from the place the same night and brought her to the police station.

A general diary was filed in this connection the next day.

“Police produced the girl before the Chief Magistrate Court at Govindaganj on Sep 30. The court ordered police to send her to Gaibandha district jail’s safe custody,” said OC Delwar.

“After taken to jail, the girl complained to the Jail Superintendent Shahidul Islam that she was raped while in police custody. However, she could not name the police officers involved.”

Jail Superintendent Islam said the girl’s health deteriorated after she informed him about the incident. Islam produced the girl before the Chief Magistrate Court once again and had her confession recorded.

The court ordered police on Oct 3 to consider the confessional statement as the First Information Report for taking necessary action to run a probe into allegation. The District Civil Surgeon was also ordered to give a report on the girl’s medical examination.

Police filed the case on Oct 4 following the order. The district police have formed a three-member probe body to look into the allegations.

Gaibandha Sadar Hospital’s Resident Medical Officer Hanif said a medical examination was done on the girl but refused to disclose the report citing ongoing probe.

Police said they were trying to have the police officers identified by the victim.