Massive Protests In Bangladesh After Hindu Woman Raped By Local Politician

The rape of a Hindu woman in central Bangladesh's Cumilla district last week sparked nationwide outrage on Sunday, after a video of the assault went viral on social media. In the capital, students from Dhaka University organised massive protests and thronged the streets, demanding "direct action" against the perpetrators.

The incident took place on June 26, when the 21-year-old survivor was raped by a local politician at her parental home in Bangladesh's Cumilla. But the matter came to light only after a video of the woman -- stripped naked and brutally assaulted-- went viral on social media, where she was seen pleading with her attackers.

So far, the police have arrested five individuals, including the main accused-- 36-year-old Fazor Ali-- who is a local politician, in connection with the incident.

Cumilla district's police chief, Nazir Ahmed Khan, said the main accused was arrested in a predawn raid at Dhaka's Sayedabad area, and four others were apprehended for revealing the picture and identity of the woman on social media.

According to police, the survivor's husband worked in Dubai and was visiting her paternal home at Cumilla's Muradnagar sub-district with her children for the local festival, Hari Seva. On July 16, Ali, a resident of Ramchandrapur Pachkitta village, allegedly broke into the house at around 10 pm and assaulted her.

Locals apprehended and beat Ali. But they took him to a hospital instead of handing him over to the police. The suspect allegedly fled from the hospital. Some media reports suggested the police action came only after the video went viral.

Protest In Bangladesh

Students of Dhaka University staged marches in the campus condemning the rapeS while residents of its Jagannath Hall dormitory, dedicated for minority community students, took out processions calling for justice.

Secretary General of former prime minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir demanded exemplary punitive action against the culprits.

The High Court, meanwhile, issued a directive asking authorities to immediately remove the video of the assault that went viral on social media on Saturday. The two-judge bench also asked the authorities concerned to ensure security of the rape survivor and provide her necessary treatment.

Ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina's son Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed, who has served as his mother's advisor, took to X to express his outrage at the incident. He blamed the Yunus administration for a rise in incidents of mob attacks, terrorism and rape in the last 11 months.