The Detective Branch (DB) of police yesterday submitted a charge sheet before a Noakhali court naming 16 people as accused in a case filed over the gang rape of a housewife in Subarnachar upazila.

DB Inspector Jakir Hossain, investigation officer of the case, confirmed the development to The Daily Star yesterday evening.

Initially, nine individuals were accused in the First Information Report (FIR) of the case.

Afterwards, proof of involvement of seven more was found and so the charge sheet accused a total of 16 people, said Jakir.

The accused include Ruhul Amin, the expelled publicity affairs secretary of Subarnachar Awami League.

Of the rest, law enforcers have so far arrested eleven, eight of whom gave confessional statements before the court.

On the midnight of the December 30 election day, the mother of four was gang-raped allegedly for not voting for “boat”, the electoral symbol of the AL.

The victim had alleged that Ruhul ordered his men to rape her on the night of the incident as she had voted for “sheaf of paddy”, the BNP's electoral symbol.

Afterwards, some 10 to 12 men carrying sticks stormed her home and raped her. They also tied up her husband, a CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver, and four children, she said.

The victim's husband sued nine people. But Ruhul's name was not mentioned in the FIR.

The complainant later told The Daily Star that even though he informed police about Ruhul's role, the law enforcers did not include his name in the FIR. The police denied the claim.