Teenage kirtan singer raped in Gopalganj

A 15-year-old Kirtan singer was allegedly raped by two men in Pirarbari village of Kotalipara upazila on Thursday.

The victim's father, a physically challenged vegetable vendor, said his daughter, member of a Khulna-based Kirtan (songs with religious themes or spiritual ideas) group “Laxmi Narayan Samproday”, came home two days ago.

"She helped me at my shop on that night. On her way back home, local youths Parimal Mallik and Kalu Mallik forcibly took her to a quiet place near a pond and raped her," he said.

Parimal is 22 and Kalu is 19 years old, he added.

The rapists also beat her up after she had made a phone call to her elder sister, the father said.

The girl lost consciousness during the assault and was later rescued by her father and other locals.

The girl said Parimal used to disturb her over phone and had proposed her. She alleged that she was raped for rejecting his advances.

Dr Asit Kumar Mallik of Gopalganj 250-bed General Hospital said the girl was receiving primary treatment at the hospital.

"We are running medical tests," he said.