A female ready-made garment worker was allegedly raped at Rupganj in Narayanganj early Friday.

The 22-year-old was raped in Khadun area of the upazila while returning home from work, said Muhammad Abdul Huq, officer-in-charge of Rupganj Police Station.

The victim lodged a case with Rupganj Police Station against three -- Sumon, 23, Nahid, 22, and Hasin, 22, -- on Friday, he added.

Quoting the case statement, the OC also said one of the three accused raped the victim. Two others assisted.

Hearing her scream, locals rescued the victim and sent her to home.

Police sent the woman to Narayanganj General Hospital for tests and were trying to arrest the accused.

Earlier on Wednesday evening, police arrested a man for allegedly raping a six-year-old indigenous girl at Mithapukur upazila in Rangpur.

The arrestee is Rubel Tirki, 30, of Parbati-Krishnapur village in the upazila.

Rubel allegedly took the girl, a grade one student, to a sugarcane field offering her sugarcane and raped her, said police.

Hearing her scream, locals rescued the victim and took her to Pirganj Upazila Health Complex. Rubel escape, police added.

Later in the day, locals held the accused and handed him over to the police.

A case was filed in this connection with Mithapukur Police Station on Thursday afternoon. Police sent him to jail on the same day after placing him before court, said Zafar Ullah, officer-in-charge of the police station.

Meanwhile, detectives in Noakhali yesterday arrested a man in connection with a case filed over the gang-rape of a woman in Subarnachar upazila on December 31.

The arrestee is Henju Majhi, 29, said Zakir Hossain, inspector of Detective Branch in the district.

On information, a team of DB police conducted a drive in Cumilla's Daudkandi upazila and arrested Henju in the morning, said Zakir, also the investigation officer of the case.

He had been hiding since the incident, he said.

With Henju, 11 people have been arrested over the gang-rape.

The High Court has granted a one year bail to former Awami League leader Ruhul Amin who allegedly ordered the rape of a woman in Subarnachar on December 30.

A bench of Justice Mamnoon Rahaman and Justice SM Kuddus Zaman on Monday passed the bail order after hearing Ruhul's bail petition, Deputy Attorney General Biswojit Roy said yesterday.

On December 30 last year, the mother of four was gang-raped allegedly by 10 to 12 Awami League leaders for casting ballot for “sheaf of paddy”, electoral symbol of the BNP, according to the victim.

The victim's husband filed a case accusing nine with Charjabbar Police Station under Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. Ruhul, however, was not made an accused in it. Police held Ruhul four days after the incident.

The husband, however, claimed to the National Human Rights Commission that the First Information Report of the criminal case was not written by him as he is illiterate and his complaint was altered by those who wrote it for him.

According to Biswojit, the court granted bail on the ground that Ruhul's name was not mentioned in the case that was filed by the victim's husband on December 31.

The government has already initiated a process to move and appeal before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court challenging the HC order.

Advocate Ashek-E-Rasul appeared for Ruhul Amin, who was the publicity affairs secretary of Subarnachar Awami League. But the party expelled him following his alleged involvement in the rape. He was also a former member of Char Jubilee Union Parishad.

The UN Human Rights Office yesterday expressed concern over the allegations of violence in Bangladesh centring the election and called for immediate investigation into the incidents.

“We are concerned about violence and alleged human rights violations in Bangladesh before, during and after the recent elections on December 30,” Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a press statement issued in Geneva.

There are credible reports of fatalities and numerous injuries on the polling day alone. There are worrying indications that reprisals have continued to take place, notably against the political opposition, including physical attacks and ill-treatment, arbitrary arrests, harassment, disappearances and filing of criminal cases, the statement said.

“Reports suggest that violent attacks and intimidation, including against minorities, have been disproportionately carried out by ruling party activists, at times with complicity or involvement of law enforcement officers.”

Shamdasani added that there are troubling reports of media professionals being intimidated, injured and having their property damaged, as well as other constraints that have hindered free and public reporting on the election. 

At least two journalists have been arrested under the Digital Security Act in relation to their reporting on the election.  The blocking of at least 54 news and other websites since 10 December and temporary internet restrictions around the election day have constrained freedom of expression, reads the statement.

The space for human rights defenders and organisations, political opposition members and interested members of the public seeking to speak out about the election is being restricted. There are reports of police breaking up recent peaceful public protests calling for a re-election, and reports of arrests and cases filed under laws like the Digital Security Act.

Restrictive legislation, including this act, should be reformed so that human rights defenders, civil society, journalists and all members of the public are protected in their exercise of the freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association and engage freely in debating the election and Bangladesh's democratic and development processes, the statement said.

“We urge the authorities to carry out prompt, independent, impartial and effective investigations into all alleged acts of violence and human rights violations related to the elections with a view to holding accountable those responsible, regardless of their political affiliations.

“We call on the authorities to take urgent measures to prevent further reprisals, and to ensure that law enforcement authorities exercise their powers strictly in accordance with the rule of law and principles of legality and proportionality. We also call on the national Human Rights Commission to play an independent and proactive role.”