Banani OC tough on rape victims

BM Farman Ali

Harassment of citizens seeking justice by the officer-in-charge of the city's Banani Police Station is nothing new. Instead of serving the victims and the oppressed, OC BM Farman Ali often acts in favour of influential persons, allege many of the victims who have been denied justice.

In a display of utter negligence, Farman Ali made headlines when he delayed recording the case of two alleged rape victims of a private university.

In another case, on March 3, a garment worker from Korail had gone to the Banani Police Station to file a general diary after she was allegedly assaulted by four influential local youths on her way home from work.

After five hours of requesting assistance, police finally lodged the GD in exchange for Tk 300, claimed the victim. Afterwards, fearing for her safety, she requested the police to escort her back home as it had become very late at night, but they refused. According to her, Banani police did not take any action regarding the GD.

Aggrieved by the GD, the same four youths on the following day [March 4] allegedly raped the woman at an abandoned house in Korail bosti (slum). This is when the case of police negligence grew to bigger proportions.

Taking her two relatives with her, the rape victim, aged 23, visited The Daily Star centre on Monday evening to share her predicament.

While describing the incident, the woman said, after being raped, she was lying unconscious on a road inside Korail Bosti. Later, she was admitted to One Stop Crisis Centre of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

“After my recovery, along with some papers -- mentioning that I was sexually assaulted, I was sent to the Banani Police Station to file the case,” she said.

OC Farman Ali, on March 12, drove away the rape survivor, from the police station when she begged him to file a case, she said.

Finally, she had to go to a court to record her case at the Banani Police Station, said the victim.

Citing the OC's attitude towards her, she said, “I showed all the documents [of DMCH] to the OC and spent the whole day filing the case. But instead of recording my case, the OC threw the documents in front of me and forced me out of the police station.”

“Later, I went to the police station for another two to three days to file a case. But police refused to record it,” she said adding, that finding no alternative, she went to a Human Rights organisation, which advised her to go to court.

She filed a complaint at a Nari O Shishu Tribunal-2 [Women and Children repression prevention tribunal] on March 29.

“The tribunal on April 14 ordered the Banani Police Station to record the case,” Ziaur Rahman Khan, lawyer for the victim told The Daily Star.

Ziaur Rahman, however, said the Banani police finally recorded the case 14 days after the court order.

Expressing utter frustration about the development of the case, the rape survivor said none of the four alleged criminals, whose names were mentioned in the First Information Report, had been arrested so far.

Furthermore, instead of offering comfort, her husband, who is also a garment worker, is not communicating with her after the incident.

While visiting Korail slum yesterday, family members of the rape survivor told this correspondent that the four alleged rapists -- Junaid Hossain, Nayeb Ali, Sohag and Natib Ali -- are still in the area. Locals said the four youths provide water and electricity connections to the slum, a venture involving a huge amount of money.

Despite repeated attempts, Farman Ali did not receive the calls. He also did not reply to the text messages.

Deputy Commissioner (media), Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Masudur Rahman said the case had been filed and investigation was underway into all the allegations.