Staff Reporter :
At least five individuals, including the prime suspect, have been arrested in connection with the alleged rape of a 25-year-old woman at her home in a village in Muradnagar upazila, Cumilla.
Nazir Ahmed Khan, Superintendent of Police (SP) of Cumilla, confirmed that all those detained are residents of Muradnagar.
The arrest of the main accused, Fozor Ali, was made after a police operation in Dhaka’s Sayedabad area, following widespread public outrage triggered by the circulation of a video related to the incident on social media.
The victim filed a rape complaint at Muradnagar Police Station, naming Fozor Ali as the principal perpetrator. The police have also arrested Md Sumon, Ramzan Ali, Md Arif, and Md Anik, who are accused of disseminating the video.
According to the victim, she had been staying at her parents’ home with her children for around 15 days prior to the attack. On Thursday night, at approximately 10:00 pm, Fozor Ali reportedly arrived and demanded entry.
When she refused, he forcibly broke down the door and assaulted her.
A neighbour, hearing commotion, alerted villagers who then came to the scene, discovering the broken door and rescuing the victim. Local residents apprehended Fozor Ali and reportedly beat him before he was hospitalised in Cumilla town. However, he temporarily escaped from the hospital before being re-arrested.
Zahidur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Muradnagar Police Station, noted that the victim initially hesitated to report the crime but filed a case after the video went viral. A medical examination of the victim has already been completed.
Law Adviser Asif Nazrul pledged that the government would ensure a thorough and swift trial for the case. “We are committed to delivering justice in the Comilla Muradnagar rape case with utmost seriousness,” he stated during a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.
The High Court has also intervened, ordering the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to remove all videos related to the incident from social media within 24 hours to protect the survivor’s dignity and privacy.
The court, comprising Justice Fahmida Khatun and Justice Syed Zahid Mansur, also directed authorities to provide immediate security and medical care to the victim. A progress report on the investigation has been requested by 14 July, the date of the next hearing.
The incident has drawn strong condemnation from political leaders. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir described the attack as “brutal, shameful, and barbaric” and called for exemplary punishment for the perpetrators. He rejected attempts to politicise the crime, stating that criminals who abuse women have no political identity.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi accused the ruling Awami League of orchestrating a campaign to tarnish the BNP’s reputation by falsely linking the party to the incident. He alleged that an Awami League leader was responsible for the assault.
Local government and sports adviser Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan blamed those who harboured and supported Awami League members for the crime in a Facebook post.
Meanwhile, students of Dhaka University held a protest procession early Sunday morning from Jagannath Hall to Raju Sculpture, denouncing the rape and calling for collective action against such crimes.
