Minu Rani and her daughter Bristy Story, Patuakhali, Bangladesh
Bristy cried and said “I and my mother started to visit the residence of girlfriend –Ms.Sharna at about 11.30 is 11/06/2016 from my house. We went to Kachipara by an auto-rickshaw and then we boarded a rented motorcycle towards Sona Park. The park was not known by us. Then I told the motorcycle carrier to reach us towards our home, but the Motorbike Holder assured us to make us reach home. But suddenly the rainfall started and we took shelter nearby a house and after the rainfall stopped then we started to board Motorbike to reach our destination.
At about 5.00/5.30 p.m. the motorbike holder brought us near the unknown river side and we saw eight to nine persons waiting for us in a trawler. The waited persons asked us to board the trawler and thereafter threatened us to quickly board in the trawler, we have been compelled to board the trawler and some of the persons pushed us to board the trawler injuring legs, we found a blue polyethene within the trawler and we have been forced to go to polythene cover in the Trawler, we refused to go to within the polyethene cover then one accused Harun said “ I am a Government servant if you fail to lay down the people might see there might be some problem” I tried to open my cell phone Harun and other boarded perpetrators snatched away my cell phone, they also directed us to ready for murder. The Trawler was kept in the middle of the river at about 8.00 p.m. I was also brought upper side of the trawler and we started to hue and cry for safety of our prestige and lives, in the meantime my mother was brought to the lower side of the Trawler and she was raped by one after another. I was also raped by Sohel, Harun, and Rahim one after another. After one hour I was also raped by those three persons. My mother became senseless due to continuous raping. The perpetrators also looted golden chain belonging to my mother and myself. They also videotaped the scenario of rape and they also took photo our nude pictures.
The local people came forward as we started to hue and cry. While perpetrators were trying to flee away from the trawler some people caught hold of Nure Alam. We have been rescued by the local people, we have been sent to Upazila Health Complex and we have been sent to Patuakhali Medical Hospital for treatment. Local people informed the local Union Parishad member who also helped to call the police for necessary legal assistance.” We also talked with Ms. Minu Rani Bardhan 35 mother of Ms.Bristy Bardhan who was produced before our two female members for interrogation.
However, Nure Alam -A leader of Swechchhasebak League, a pro-Awami League, has been arrested. The arrestee, Nure Alam, is a vice president of Najirpur union ward-1 Swechchhasebak League, said the unit’s secretary Hasan Mahmud Mintu.
Police Said, Nure Alam along with five other youths forcibly made the victims board a trawler where they were gang raped later, said police and victims. Hearing a hue and cry, some fishermen near Char Esha of the Tetulia River approached the trawler around 12:30 am yesterday. Sensing their presence, all but Nur jumped into the river and fled. The fishermen caught the alleged rapist and rescued the victims. They were handed over to the police later. AZM Faruqee, officer-in-charge of Bauphal Police Station, claimed that Nure Alam confessed his involvement in the incident during his primary interrogation. He said the other “rapists” were also from Najirpur union and aged between 20 and 25, added the OC. A case was filed with Bauphal police over the incident lodged by the husband of Ms.Minu Rani. The mother and the daughter were sent to Patuakhali General Hospital for medical tests, police said, adding that they were trying to arrest the alleged remaining rapists.
