Pahela Baishakh sex attack: Rewards to find 8

Police today declared Tk 1 lakh reward for capture of each eight identified from camera footages of the sexual assault during Pahela Baishakh celebrations.

Shahidul Haque, inspector general of police, made the announcement at a press briefing in Dhaka Metropolitan Police headquarters this noon.

At least 20 women were sexually assaulted for over an hour, allegedly under the nose of police, by a group of rowdy youths for over an hour on the evening of April 14.

The incident sparked a wave of protest throughout the country with people from all quarters condemning the incident and demanding immediate arrest of the culprits.

Now, after a month in the passing of the incident and failure of arresting anyone, police have declared a reward for the eight assaulters identified from footages they have had for the past 33 days.

The police also released photos of the eight they identified as sexual assaulters, cropped from the camera footages, and released them to the media.

"We have been able to facially recognise eight people. But we do not know their names or whereabouts. Anyone who comes forward and helps in the capture of an assaulter will be given Tk 1 lakh reward."

Be rest assured, that the identity of the informer will be kept a secret and given proper security measures," the IGP said during the press release.

Citing that the close circuit camera footages were provided to the media, the ace police official claimed that no one came forward to aiding the capture of the assaulters.

Police's role over the incident, their comments afterwards and subsequently the manner of dousing protests against the sexual assault drew widespread flack.

First, police denied having any evidence of sexual assault at all despite the proactive role of different media publishing the camera footages that clearly showed everything.

Later on May10, the law enforcers mercilessly quashed a protest that bid to lay a siege on Dhaka police headquarters, frustrated over police's role in this regard.

There, male police had brutally assaulted a female protester, Ismat Ara, which also drew widespread condemnation.

However, protests are still on from several quarters, including a joint move by the student political organisations of Dhaka University, pressing for action against the disregarding police at scene, arrest of the culprits and others.