Locals force 7-year-old rape victim to leave village in Tangail

A seven-year-old rape victim was forced to leave her village by a kangaroo court in Tangail’s Kalihati upazila. The victim was reportedly raped by a businessman in his layer poultry farm in the upazila’s Deupur village few days back. Locals said the businessman Abdus Salam, 50, raped the girl, who is also a student of the village’s government primary school, by offering eggs. Later, he threatened to kill her with a knife if she told anyone about the incident. On Sunday, leaders at local arbitration ordered the victim to leave the village, according to local sources. Deupur Government Primary School headmaster Amir Hossain said: “We heard that the student (victim) has been tortured physically. “She didn’t attend the Bangla exam scheduled on Monday. I don’t know where she has gone.” Solla Union Parishad member Anisur Rahman said: “The matter has been settled Sunday night, not arbitrated.” However, the victim’s aunts Ayesha Begum and Chan Khatun said local influential leader Shahidul Islam Shahid threatened them on Monday to keep from talking about the matter with anyone. The victim’s mother said: “I heard that the leaders settled the matter Sunday night. They sent her away with her uncle Aynal Haque early Monday.” Kalihati’s Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Shahina Akhter assured that she will look into the matter.