Is rape rising?

Amid an outcry over frequent incidents of rape, a 13-year-old girl was allegedly raped in Parbatipur upazila of Dinajpur yesterday.

The sixth grader orphan girl, who lives in a relative's house at Kalikabari, was alone when her neighbour Zakaria forcibly took her in a nearby abandoned house around 1:30pm and raped her, police said, quoting locals.

Hearing her screams, locals rushed to the house and found the girl bleeding profusely. She is now being treated at M Abdur Rahim Medical College Hospital in Dinajpur in a critical condition.

Police are trying to arrest Zakaria, who has since gone into hiding.

Also yesterday, police arrested a college student on charges of raping a class nine student in Sonatola of Bogra.

Arrestee Tayef, 22, reportedly violated the girl in his home on August 1, said Shariful Islam, officer-in-charge of Sonatola Police Station.

The girl's father filed a case against five people, including Tayef and his parents, he added. "We are conducting drives to arrest the rest.”

The girl was sent to Bogra Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital for a forensic test yesterday.  

Incidents of rape and sexual harassment have been making headlines almost regularly of late. 

Between January and June, 319 incidents of rape took place, according to rights body Ain o Salish Kendra tally, made from media reports.

Bangladesh Mahila Parishad puts the figure at 429. In addition, 104 incidents of gang rape and 80 incidents of sexual harassment were reported during the same period.

According to Manusher Jonno Foundation, 229 children have been raped in the last seven months.

The Daily Star reported at least 13 incidents of rape in which 16 women and children were violated in July alone. One victim was as young as four, who was allegedly killed by the perpetrator after rape.  

Of these incidents, the alleged rape of the Bogra college student by the now-suspended Sramik League leader Tufan Sarkar sparked a firestorm of public outrage.

The victim said Tufan abducted her from her home on July 17 and raped her. He then asked his party men and woman councillor Marzia Akter Rumki to cover it up.

So they picked up the victim and her mother, tortured them for four hours and then shaved their heads.

Yesterday, doctors found evidence of rape after a forensic test on her at Bogra Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital, said Abul Kalam Azad, the investigation officer of the case.

Meanwhile, Tufan and his sister-in-law Rumki were placed on two-day fresh remand yesterday. They were placed on remand twice before.

In another development, Tufan's associate Munna gave a confessional statement before a court yesterday. Tufan's two other aides Atik and Jibon Rabi Das already confessed their role in the crime.

BCL LEADERS HELD

Police arrested six people, including two Chhatra League leaders, on Thursday over sexual harassment of a college girl.

Sohel Rana Shanto, vice-president of Sirajganj district BCL, Ashraful Islam Don, president of Natuapara union BCL, and four of their associates were held from different villages of Kazipur upazila.

They were sent to jail, said police.

The central BCL expelled Sohel and Ashraful on Thursday night over the allegation, said Zakirul Islam Limon, president of Sirajganj district BCL.

Samit Kumar Kundu, officer-in-charge of Kazipur Police Station, said the girl and her two friends came to her relative's house at Natuapara on Wednesday morning from Bogra.

When the three were about to leave for Bogra in the afternoon, the BCL leaders stormed the girl's relative's home yard and sexually assaulted her. Hearing screams, neighbours rescued the girl and her two friends, he said quoting the victim.

The girl filed a case on Wednesday night accusing six people.

ANOTHER ARRESTED

Police yesterday arrested a college student for allegedly raping a woman on May 15. He also captured video of the rape and circulated it on the internet.

Accused Al Mamun, 24, is a first-year student in a Natore college and son of a former ward-level Awami League leader.

Primary investigation found the allegation to be true, said Sayedur Rahman Bhuiyan, OC of Puthia Police Station.