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Published : 30 Jun 2025, 02:59 AM
A Hindu woman in Cumilla’s Muradnagar Upazila has accused a man named Fazor Ali of breaking into her house late at night, raping her, and then being assaulted by a group led by his younger brother, who also filmed the incident.
The footage was later circulated online, drawing widespread outrage and sparking calls for justice.
Speaking to bdnews24.com at her home on Sunday afternoon, the woman raised the allegations, saying Fazor forcibly entered her house around 11:30pm on Thursday.
“He called from outside asking me to open the door. When I didn’t respond, he broke it down and came in. Then he assaulted me,” she said.
“Just moments later, seven or eight people burst into the room. They started beating both Fazor and me. His younger brother Shah Poran was behind it. The next day, I filed a case at the local police station.”
The woman, whose husband is an expatriate, had returned to her father’s home about two weeks earlier. She said her family knew Fazor through money lending but insisted she had “no relationship” with him beyond that.
A statement released by Cumilla police confirmed the incident, mentioning that he fled after being mobbed and beaten.
The statement added that some individuals at the scene filmed the victim and posted the footage online. Muradnagar police later intervened and “took legal action”.
Four suspects, Anik, Sumon, Ramzan, and Babu -- all identified by a single name, have been arrested for distributing the video online and have been sent to jail pending trial in the case over circulating the clip.
Police said a case filed by the woman on Friday named Fazor as the primary accused. The victim underwent a medical examination.
Fazor was arrested in Dhaka’s Sayedabad early Saturday following a social media backlash over the video, which had by then gone viral.
‘WHY BEAT HER AND FILM IT TOO?’
The widely circulated video shows the woman, partially undressed, being beaten by a group of young men while she begs for mercy. The video has sparked national outrage, prompting visits by journalists, law enforcers, and community members to the woman’s home.
The victim’s father, a 70-year-old fisherman, was visibly shaken. He said he and his wife were away attending a religious event that night, leaving their daughter alone at home.
“We heard screams and rushed back. There were so many people in the yard. Some were beating Fazor, others filming my daughter. I have no words. Why did they hit her and then film it?”
The woman added that Poran had previously visited her home, demanding to inspect her mobile phone over suspicions about her interactions with Fazor.
When she refused, he allegedly smashed the phone on the ground. She suspects this confrontation may have triggered tensions between the two brothers.
“Fazor had no bad history with me. But if he had good intentions, he wouldn’t have come at night,” she said. “Just two or three minutes after he entered, they barged in, started beating us and recording everything. When I screamed, neighbours came.”
“I recognised some of the faces who filmed me, but I don’t know their names. I’ve filed a case. They’ve done wrong. I hope I get justice.”
LOCAL PERSPECTIVES, POLITICS
A local said he heard loud noises from the woman’s home that night. “We found a group of men beating the woman and filming her. Later, when it became clear she had been assaulted, some people turned on Fazor and beat him too.”
A local Union Parishad chairman said he was aware of a relationship between Fazor and the woman but insisted that both Fazor and those who recorded the footage must be held accountable. He is also an Awami League leader.
The BNP, however, claimed Fazor was a “bodyguard” of the public representative, meaning the UP chairman.
Fazor, reportedly aged 38, is known in the area for operating a money-lending business and allegedly uses intimidation to maintain control. Residents say he has committed various offences over the years and is politically well-connected.
While some described him as “close to the Awami League”, no one could confirm whether he held any formal position. Social media posts show him participating in AL rallies, though these claims could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, Sumon, one of the four arrested over video circulation, is said to be the former president of a local unit of the Awami League’s student wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League.
AN ATTEMPT TO TWIST CASE POLITICALLY: BNP
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir issued a statement on Sunday condemning the assault and demanding exemplary punishment for all involved.
In his written statement, he alleged the incident was part of a “well-orchestrated plot to politically divert attention” and claimed a local government advisor in Muradnagar was misusing power to protect his interests.
Later in the day, BNP leaders from Muradnagar held a press conference at a restaurant in Cumilla city, denouncing attempts to link Fazor with the party.
“Efforts are being made to falsely paint Fazor as a BNP activist. This is absolutely untrue,” said Kamal Uddin Bhuiyan, joint convener of Muradnagar BNP.
“He is actually an Awami League goon who has committed countless crimes over the past 15 years. We want justice for the victim.”
The BNP team also displayed photos of Fazor at AL rallies and claimed he worked as a “bodyguard” for the local chairman.
The chairman, however, denied the allegation.
“People are spreading propaganda using old photos of us at events,” he said. “He was never my bodyguard.”
