Police get 10 days to grill Garo girl 'rapists'

Police have 10 days to question the two men who allegedly gang-raped a tribal woman on a moving microbus in Dhaka.

Mohammad Ashraf Khan ‘Tushar’ and Jahidul Islam Lovlu were taken to court on Thursday noon, Vatara Police Station OC Nurul Mottakin told bdnews24.com.

The two worked as drivers for a buying house in Gulshan.

Dhaka’s Metropolitan Magistrate Amit Kumar Dey granted the police petition.

Several women rights bodies gave power of attorney to an advocate to argue in favour of police remand.

They were - Naripakkha, BLAST, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, Bangladesh National Woman Lawyers’ Association and Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK).

ASK lawyer Abdur Rashid pleaded in favour of the duo’s remand, while lawyers Md Shahidul Islam and Faruk Ahmed represented the arrestees with the court’s permission.

The lawyers said there was no need to take the men into remand because they had already confessed to raping the victim and evidence relating them to the crime was available.

The victim, a tribal woman in her early 20s, worked as a salesperson for a clothing outlet at Jamuna Future Park.

She was dragged onto a microbus outside the shopping mall on May 21.

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), after arresting Lovlu and Tushar on Tuesday night, said they were the only ones who planned the crime.

But the victim told police five men took turns to rape her on the running vehicle.

She was dumped at Uttara’s Jashimuddin intersection after around 90 minutes.

Lovlu was arrested at Gulshan-1 and ‘Tushar’ at Patuakhali’s Kuakata and the microbus they used was recovered from Banani.

The victim’s family filed a case with Vatara Police Station the next day. Signs of forced intercourse were found when she was examined the day after.

The incident led to a furore, coming as it did after the huge controversy over the sexual harassment of several women during the Bengali New Year celebrations at Dhaka University.

Police were blamed for negligence in registering the case and rights groups have moved against police in the High Court.

The court asked police to explain the delay in accepting the case and why they should not be ordered to compensate the victim.

It has also asked them to explain why steps should not be taken against some policemen for negligence.