A Dhaka court on Tuesday placed four people, including recently dismissed Biman Bangladesh Airlines managing director and CEO Md Shafiqur Rahman and his wife Bithi Khatun, on remand for varying periods in connection with allegations of abusing a child domestic worker in the capital’s Uttara area.
The order was issued following a hearing at the court of Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md. Zakir Hossain.
Shafiqur and one of the housemaids, Rupali Khatun, were placed on five-day remand, Shafiqur's wife Bithi was placed on seven-day remand, and another housemaid, Sufia Begum, was placed on a six-day remand in the case.
Sub-Inspector Tahmina Akhter of the prosecution department confirmed the development.
During the hearing, counsel for the plaintiff, Fahmida Akhtar, told the court that the child had been subjected to extreme abuse. She alleged that the child was locked inside a toilet for days at a time without food, forcing the child to survive by drinking toilet water and eating tissue paper. Akhtar further claimed that a heated metal ladle was routinely kept ready to beat the child.
She described the alleged employment of a child under the age of 12 and the reported treatment as inhuman, calling it a matter of shame under the present government.
During the hearing, the court questioned the principal accused, Bithi Khatun, about the cause of the alleged torture of a minor girl. Denying the allegations, Bithi claimed that she had “only slapped the child once or twice” and said the injury marks were already present.
In response, the court displayed photographs of the injured child and remarked, “Where did all these marks come from? Even if there had been one previous injury, the rest of the wounds clearly occurred in your residence, as evident from the photographs.”
The court also addressed former Biman Bangladesh Airlines managing director Shafiqul Rahman, asking, “You hold a very high position. Why would such a heinous act take place in your home?”
The court directed the investigating authorities to complete the interrogation of the accused within 10 working days. It also instructed the investigating officer to ensure that no harm or inconvenience is caused to the minor children of accused Rupali Begum during the remand period.
Meanwhile, the victim’s father, Golam Mostafa, told the court that he had sent his daughter to work at the residence in June last year after being assured that she would be properly cared for and provided with food. However, when the child was returned to him on January 31, he found severe injuries across her body, including burn marks allegedly caused by a hot metal skewer.
The child is currently undergoing treatment at Gazipur Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital.
A case in connection with the incident was filed at Uttara West Police Station on February 1.