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.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today called upon the people of the country to stand against the violence spree centering the December 30 election.

"We call upon the countrymen as well as the Election Commission to bring an end to this violence," Mirza Fakhrul said at a press brief at a Cumilla restaurant, on his way to Noakhali today.

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He is going to Noakhali to visit the woman who was raped at midnight of December 31.

The BNP leader condemned the rape incident and said this is an example of the pre and post-polls violence spree all across the country.

Awami League and the country's administration turned into public enemies through stealing votes in this election yet again, he further said.

What happened in Noakhali?

A mother of four was gang-raped in Noakhali's Subarnachar area on December 31 allegedly by 10 to 12 Awami League activists.

The 35-year-old woman, who was being treated at Noakhali General Hospital with severe injuries, claimed that she was raped for voting for "sheaf of paddy", the electoral symbol of the BNP, during Sunday's national polls. 

The woman alleged the rapists were accomplices of Ruhul Amin, a former member of Char Jubilee Union Parishad. "They had repeatedly insisted that I should vote for boat [the AL's symbol] but I cast my ballot for 'sheaf of paddy'," she said.

A mother of six, aged about 48, was allegedly gang-raped in Noakhali's Subarnachar upazila on Sunday evening over “campaigning for an upazila vice chairman candidate”.

The incident happened barely three months after a mother of four was gang-raped by 10-12 people in the same area allegedly for voting for “sheaf of paddy” in the December 30 national election.

Police arrested two people yesterday after the victim's husband had filed a case with Char Jabbar Police Station, accusing 12 people, including four unnamed. The arrestees are Abul Basher and Bechu Majhi, both accused in the case.

Talking to The Daily Star at Noakhali General Hospital, the woman said, “During the polling hours on Sunday, a group of supporters of vice chairman candidate Farhad Hossain Chowdhury Bahar threatened me and my husband with dire consequences as we campaigned for his rival candidate Tajuddin Babar.” 

Fearing an attack, the couple took shelter at a relative's house in Bagga village after casting their votes.

But they became worried about their children as a storm hit the village in the evening. The couple decided to go home, about five kilometres away from there, on a motorbike.

As they travelled around half of the distance, 10-12 supporters of vice-chairman candidate Farhad, including Yusuf Majhi, Arman, Helal, Bechu Majhi, Fazal, Abul Bashar, Rubel, Bazlu and Raihan, intercepted them around 7:30pm and beat them severely, the couple alleged.

At one stage, Bechu Majhi, Bazlu and Abul Bashar took the victim to a banana orchard inside the fish farm of Ruhul Amin, the alleged mastermind behind the gang-rape of the mother of four, and violated her.

Hearing screams for help, locals rushed to the spot and sent the victim to Noakhali General Hospital. The “rapists” managed to escape.

Farhad and Tajuddin, both supporters of ruling Awami League, said the rapists were criminals and didn't belong to any political party.

Claiming that the woman was violated for voting for him, Tajuddin demanded exemplary punishments for the rapists.

Farhad, winner of the Sunday's polls, had contested with the electoral symbol “padlock” while his contender Tajuddin with “spectacle”.

Syed Mohiuddin Azim, resident physician of Noakhali General Hospital, said the woman and her husband were admitted to the hospital.

The women's body bore injury marks and a medical test would be conducted on her to ascertain whether she was raped, he added.

Police later visited the spot.

Shahed Uddin, OC of Char Jabbar Police Station, claimed the gang rape had no links with the polls. “We have learned primarily that the incident took place over a family feud.”

According to Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), a total of 189 women and children were raped in the last three months. Of them, 15 were killed and three others died by suicide after being raped.

The rights body in its report, published on Sunday, also said 34 women became victim of attempted rape during the same period.

The Awami League yesterday expelled Ruhul Amin from the party for his alleged involvement in the gang-rape of a woman in Noakhali's Subarnachar upazila.

The decision came two days after police arrested Ruhul, the publicity affairs secretary of Subarnachar AL, on charge of ordering his accomplices to rape the mother of four for voting for the “sheaf of paddy” -- the BNP's electoral symbol -- in Sunday's election.

Also read: Two more held over Noakhali gang rape

Golam Faruk, president of Subarnachar AL, confirmed the expulsion.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Jatiya Oikyafront, led by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, yesterday visited the victim, who is now undergoing treatment at Noakhali Sadar Hospital. They assured her of staying by her side.

The 35-year-old woman was gang-raped in Subarnachar area in the early hours of December 31, allegedly by 10 to 12 AL activists.

According to the victim, the men entered her home by cutting the fence around her house. They then tied her husband and four children with ropes, after which they took the woman outside the house and raped her.

The victim also said the rapists threatened to kill her husband and children and torch their house if she told anyone about the rape.

The victim's husband, who was also injured, said the criminals left around 4:00am after beating his wife unconscious and taking Tk 40,000, some gold ornaments and other valuables with them.

The husband said the victim went to cast her vote around 11:00am on Sunday.

During that time, Ruhul allegedly insisted that she vote for the “boat”. He allegedly tried to snatch the ballot paper as she said she would vote for the “sheaf of paddy”. But the victim put the paper inside the box.

This made Ruhul furious and he threatened her, he said.

Talking to The Daily Star, the victim's brother-in-law said the woman had threatened him back.

After the rape incident, the victim's husband filed a case against nine people.

Police have so far arrested four -- Ibrahim Khalil Bechu, Badsha Alom Bashu, Sohel and Swapan.

Besides, police arrested three more people -- Ruhul Amin, Jasim Uddin and Hasan Ali Bulu -- after finding their involvement in the rape during primary investigation.

Meanwhile, police yesterday sought a seven-day remand for all seven arrestees, including Ruhul Amin.

A Noakhali court is expected to hear the remand petitions of five arrestees today.

The court would fix the date for hearing the remand petitions for Jasim Uddin and Hasan Ali Bulu later. The two were arrested on Friday and sent to jail yesterday.

The incident has triggered widespread protest and condemnation.

Different organisations yesterday demanded the highest punishment for the accused.

Samajtantrik Mohila Forum yesterday held a rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club in the capital and pressed for the highest punishment of the perpetrators.

The women chapter of Bangladesh Communist Party sought justice for the victim and demanded security for women and minorities across the country. 

Police yesterday arrested one more accused in connection with the gang-rape of a mother of four in Noakhali's  Subarnachar upazila early December 31.

A team of the district detective branch arrested Salahuddin, the ninth accused in the rape case, from Sultanpur area in Feni Sadar in the morning.

With Salahuddin, eight people have so far been arrested in the case filed by the husband of the 35-year-old victim.

Meantime, a Noakhali court yesterday placed seven people, including a former Awami League leader, on five-day remand each in connection with the case.

Judge of Cognisance Court-2 Nobonita Guha passed the order after police produced them before it around 1pm with seven days remand prayer for each of them, said Ibrahim Khalil, inspector (investigation) of Char Jabbar Police Station and also the investigation officer of the case. 

The remanded accused are Md Sohel, Swapan, Ibrahim Khalil Bechu, Badsha Alam Bashu, former union parishad member and recently sacked Subarnachar Upazila unit AL publicity secretary Ruhul Amin, Jashim Uddin and Hasan Ali Bulu.

Though Ruhul Amin, Hasan Ali Bulu and Jashim Uddin were not named in the FIR (first information report), police arrested them as their involvement was revealed during the course of investigation, police said.

The woman, who was being treated at Noakhali General Hospital with severe injuries, claimed that she was raped by 10 to 12 accomplices of Ruhul Amin at his instruction for voting for “sheaf of paddy”, the electoral symbol of BNP.

Awami League on Saturday expelled Ruhul Amin from the party for his alleged involvement in the gang-rape.

The case was handed over to the Detective Branch (DB) for further investigation.