Fact File
Victim of acid cries for justice
CHANDANA Rani Mandol (32) a housewife sustained severe burn injuries when miscreants threw acid on her at Outshahi village in Tongibari Upazila of Munshiganj district on 11 February midnight. A gang of miscreants thrown acid on her back while she was going to toilet in the midnight of 11 February 2006. She was rushed to Munshiganj hospital with severe acid burn and subsequently was shifted to Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF), Dhaka for better treatment.
Family sources informed Odhikar, that the miscreants threw acid at Chandana Rani Mandol when she came out of her room to go to the toilet. A case was filed with Tongibari police station under Acid Control Act. Chandana Rani Mandol herself became the informant of the case.
Meanwhile police arrested Monir Hossain's wife and Monir Hossain's brother from the same village on charge of their alleged involvement in the acid attack. The victim is now undergoing treatment at the Acid Survivors Foundation, Dhaka. Her condition is improving. Victim Chandana Rani has demanded that the persons responsible for the attack should be brought to justice. The prime accused persons are still at large. When contacted the Investigating Officer (IO) of the case Sub-Inspector (SI) Lutfar Rahman of Tongibari police station, he informed Odhikar that the case is under investigation and they are trying hard to arrest the alleged perpetrators who are absconding since the incident.
Chandana Rani informed Odhikar that they had dispute with their neighbours Monir Hossain Sheikh, Amir Hossain and Harun Mollik over a piece of land. They have been threatening her to resolve this dispute in their favour for last four years. On 11 February at around 4.00 pm a quarrel took place with Monir Hossain's wife and his brother regarding other ongoing civil suits filed against each other. Chandana Rani informed, as she has been pursuing the cases of their side, the perpetrators attacked her to stop her from such persuasions. Chandana's husband Dilip Kumer Mandol is a vegetable trader in Dhaka. They used to visit their village home occasionally.
She also mentioned, two years ago, her father-in-law Ramesh Kumar Mandol filed a case against Monir Hossain and Amir Hossain who were trying to occupy the land where his family and relatives living. Since then the culprits have been pressurising them to withdraw the case. The parties filed four cases so far over the land dispute. Out of these four cases three are pending in Munshiganj District Judge's Court and one is pending in the High Court Division of the Supreme Court.
Chandana's husband Dilip Kumar Mandol informed Odhikar that this is their ancestral land and they have been staying there for more than 80 years. Out of 0.93 acres of total land 0.37 acres are their own property (ancestral) and 0.56 acres are possessed through lease. Lessee Ramesh Mandol have been paying lease money to the land office accordingly.
However, victim's father-in-law Ramesh Mandol was abducted on 3 October 2000 by the gang of Monir Hossain Sheikh and the accused persons had forcefully taken signatures and thumb impression from him on a stamp paper. Ramesh Mandol lodged a general dairy (GD) with local police station in this connection. Later Monir Hossain claimed that he acquired 0.56 acres of leased property through a deed. Although the Court did not accept the deed on the ground that leased out property cannot be sold, purchased or transferred.
Meanwhile acid victim Chandana Rani Mandol and her family are deeply concerned about the progress of investigation of the case. The main accused persons are yet to be arrested and the police are allegedly not taking much interest about it.
Odhikar demands immediate arrest of all the accused persons and a fair trail.
A fact-finding report of Odhikar.
