Miscreants abducted a rape survivor from Khulna Medical College Hospital’s one-stop crisis centre (OCC) on Sunday.
The woman and her mother was forcefully taken into a microbus and her relatives, media persons and human rights activists, who were at the one-stop crisis centre were attacked during the abduction.
At that time, the kidnappers also tried to snatch the cameras of Jamuna TV and SA TV.
The woman had told a doctor at the OCC that Dumuria upazila Chairman Gazi Ejaz Ahmed raped her on Saturday night. She had also said that she wanted to file a case with a court, as she did not trust the police.
The 28-year-old woman said she had been having a physical relationship with the chairman for four to five years. On Saturday night, he took her to his office and violated her when she refused to marry him.
Lawyer Mominul Islam, the Khulna divisional coordinator for the Bangladesh Human Rights Implementation Organization, said a seven-member delegation of the organization went to the OCC of the hospital on Sunday afternoon to provide legal assistance to the woman. At around 5:30pm, an unknown person was seen taking the clearance paper of the woman from the OCC.
When asked about his identity, the people in charge of OCC kicked everyone out, he said.
“Within a few seconds of coming out, 15-20 people forcibly took the woman and her mother in a microbus. Two journalists were injured during the scuffle. OCC is a safe haven for rape survivors. We are horrified at the way the victim was abducted from there. OCC security officers were silent throughout. The role of hospital officials is also questionable,” he added.
In this regard, Khulna Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner (Sonadanga) Abu Naser Al Amin said: "We have information that the woman went with her mother. The incident is being investigated.”
Witnesses said that since Saturday night, the number of outsiders at the entrance of the hospital, including OCC, increased. In the morning, 12-15 people took positions in front of OCC, and they were involved in the kidnapping in the afternoon.
After the incident, the accused upazila chairman’s cousin, Gazi Touhiduzzaman, chairman of Rudaghara union parishad of Dumuria upazila, was captured by locals. He was later handed over to the police.
When contacted, Dumuria Upazila Chairman Gazi Ejaz Ahmed said he did not know anything about the matter.
Sonadanga police station Officer-in-Charge (Investigation) Amirul Islam said: "We have come to know that the woman went to her mother's house by car from the hospital. She was not kidnapped. And Gazi Touhiduzzaman is a public representative. When the mob handed him over to the police, he was taken into police custody. It will not be possible to keep him in police custody if no complaint is received.”