Bakalia ‘child rape’: Trial of suspect Monir begins

A Chattogram court has indicted Monir Hossain in a case over the rape of a 3-and-a-half-year-old child in Chairman Ghata of Chattogram’s Bakalia.

Chattogram Metropolitan Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge Syeda Hafza Jhuma made the decision on Tuesday.

The plaintiff and eight other witnesses have been asked to attend the court hearing on Wednesday, said Mahmud-ul Alam Chowdhury Maruf, a public prosecutor at the tribunal.

On Monday, the court had taken cognisance of the charges in the case.

Monir was charged with rape under Section 9 (1) of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000 (Amended 2003).

Previously, police had taken the child’s DNA report and recorded the statements of the accused and the victim under Section 164. A total of 22 people were called as witnesses in the case.

Detainee Monir “confessed” after being presented at the court of Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Bakr Siddique on the afternoon of May 22.

On the afternoon of May 21, news had spread in Chairman Ghata that a child had been “raped” by Monir, a 32-year-old who was employed as a decorator. Police went and arrested him after receiving the complaint.

When police tried to take Monir to the police station, locals blocked him, saying that they would take the matter into their own hands in order to “ensure” his punishment.

After failing for more than two hours to remove the suspect from the area, police fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.

Locals gathered and surrounded the police vehicle as the Bakalia area turned into a battlefield in a clash between law enforcers and locals.

A large police truck was set on fire and at least 40 people, including journalists, were injured.

The child's father filed a case with Bakalia Police Station later that night.

On May 22, police said Monir, who was arrested on charges of “rape”, had “confessed his guilt”.

Chattogram Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (South) Hossain Md Kabir Bhuiyan told bdnews24.com, "During our interrogation, Monir Hossain confessed to raping the child. Later, when he was taken to court, he gave a confessional statement there too. Later, the suspect was sent to jail on the orders of the court.

He said, "On the day of the incident, the child's father was in Dhaka and the mother was at work in the garments factory. At that time, the child was with the grandmother. The accused then tried to use trickery to rape or attempt to rape the child. However, the matter can only be confirmed after we receive the medical report."

After the child was rescued on the day of the incident, they were taken to the One Stop Crisis Centre at Chittagong Medical College Hospital.