Woman tortured over alleged extramarital affair in Rangpur

A Hindu woman has been brutally tortured by some people of her own community in Rangpur's Badarganj upazila over allegations that she had an extramarital affair with a Muslim man. The victim's family have also been ostracised by their community in Champatali village. Informed by locals, police rescued the victim – Suchitra Rani, wife of Ganesh Chandra Roy – from the village Thursday night. She later filed a case, accusing 17 people. Badarganj police station Officer-in-Charge Akhtaruzzaman said they had so far arrested four of the accused. The arrestees are Molin Chandra Roy, his wife Juthika Rani Kishori, Mohan Roy, and his wife Surya Bala. A Badarganj court sent them to jail on Friday. Suchitra Rani alleged that she was home alone at noon on Thursday when Mominul Islam, a grocer of the same village, went to the house looking for Ganesh. But the grocer forcefully entered the house and tried to violate her, she added. Hearing her screams, the neighbours rushed in. Mominul managed to run away, and suddenly Suchitra found herself in an awkward situation as the neighbours started raising allegations that she had an extramarital relationship with the Muslim man. They cut off her hair and removed the sacred vermillion from her forehead. The victim claimed that false allegations had been raised against her as part of a plot by an influential quarter to grab her family's land and property.