Chattogram in uproar over child assault
Chattogram police have arrested a man, identified as Monir Hossain, 35, on charges of attempting to rape a four-year-old girl in the Abu Jafar Road, Chairmanghata area of South Bakalia.
The incident sparked violent clashes between local residents and law enforcement yesterday evening.
A case has been filed over the alleged attempted assault, and Monir Hossain is expected to be produced in court, Bakalia Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Solaiman confirmed on Friday.
A separate case has also been filed for obstruction of government duty, vandalism, and torching of a police vehicle.
Four people have been arrested in connection with the clashes, and police are continuing operations to identify and detain others involved.
Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Shahadat Hossain visited the victim
at the CMCH One-Stop Crisis Centre (OCC) and pledged strict legal action. “The highest punishment for the perpetrator will be ensured. No leniency will be given,” he said.
The child’s family expressed their distress and called for exemplary punishment for the accused.
Her father, reached by phone, said he had been informed of the incident while travelling from Dhaka and demanded justice for his daughter.
According to police and local sources, the girl was allegedly lured into a local decoration shop where the suspect attempted to assault her.
The child was later found crying in the stairwell of a nearby building by her uncle, Md. Masum, who immediately brought her to hospital.
The girl, who lives with her grandmother, is currently undergoing treatment at Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH), where doctors are conducting tests to assess the extent of the assault.
The suspect was taken into custody by Bakalia Police and senior officials of the Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP).
However, as news of the alleged assault spread, hundreds of outraged residents gathered at the scene, demanding that Monir Hossain be handed over for mob justice.
The crowd blocked police vehicles for several hours, forcing law enforcement to deploy additional personnel to manage the situation.
Tensions escalated into violence around 10pm when protesters attempted to seize the suspect from the police van.
Police resorted to baton charges, tear gas, and sound grenades to disperse the crowd. The mob retaliated by hurling bricks and setting fire to a police van.
During the clashes, around 30 people — including law enforcement personnel and two journalists — were injured.
The unrest continued until the early hours of today. Order was restored around 1:30am after more than 1,000 police personnel, alongside five platoons of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the Armed Police Battalion (APBN), were deployed to the area.
CMP Deputy Commissioner (South), Hossain Mohammad Kabir Bhuiyan, said the situation is now under control, with additional forces remaining in place to prevent further incidents.
