HC orders to arrest Rangunia rape accused

High Court has issued an order to arrest a local resident Shah Alam and others accused of raping a girl at Chittagong’s Rangunia Upazila.

It has also asked OC of Rangunia Police Station to file a ‘progress report’ on the implementation of the order on June 15.

A high court bench comprising Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman gave the order on Monday after a preliminary hearing on a writ petition.

The writ petition was filed by Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua wherein he attached a news report on the incident published by an English daily on May 23.

The High Court also directed Rangunia Police Station to lodge an FIR based on the news report.

Barua himself argued for the writ petition while State was represented by Deputy Attorney General Taposh Kumar Biswas.

“A 12-year-old girl used to work as a maid at the residence of one Shah Alam. He (Alam) developed physical relation with the girl. When the girl became pregnant, he forced her to go for abortion,” Barua told bdnews24.com after the court’s order.

Though local residents handed over Alam to police, the latter released him.

Barua said police even turned away victim’s mother when she went to Rangunia police station to lodge a complaint on May 8.

“Later police also harassed the victim’s mother and brother taking them to police station. Police also forced the victim to depose against her brother linking him with the incident instead of the accused,” Barua alleged.

The court issued a ruling seeking to know why police’s refusal to register the complaint should not be deemed illegal and why a directive should not be issued to take action against Alam and other accused.

Home secretary, inspector general of police, DIG of Chittagong area, Chittagong police commissioner, Rangunia police station’s OC and sub-inspector, director of the Mariam Health Complex and other defendants were asked to respond to the ruling.