2 arrested over gang-rape in Magura

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained two men accused of gang-raping a woman in Sadar upazila of Magura.

The arrestees were identified as Zahidul Islam, son of Ashraf Hossain, and Asad Molla, son of Golam Rasul Molla of Sadar upazila.

RAB detained them Monday night from Batika Bazar in Sadar upazila and handed them over to Magura police station Tuesday afternoon after the victim identified them as the perpetrators, according to a media release from RAB 6.

The 45-year-old victim, who had come to Magura with her husband to work as a farmhand, was gang-raped by five men at Jagla village in Sadar upazila Saturday night.

The rapists tied the man to a tree and raped the woman. The victim filed a case against five people on Sunday afternoon.

The miscreants also threatened the couple and told them to keep silent. But the couple informed the villagers about the ordeal and filed the case.

Bangladesh saw a sharp rise in sexual violence and rape incidents in recent months. Nearly 1,000 rape cases, including over 200 gang rapes, were reported between January and September, according to Ain o Salish Kendra.

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But the actual number is thought to be higher since many victims of sexual violence do not report the assaults.

The gang rape of two women in Sylhet and Noakhali sparked countrywide protests last month, prompting the government to add death penalty as the highest punishment for rape. 

The 'Women and Children Repression Prevention (Amendment) Bill, 2020' was cleared by the Parliament on Nov 17.

According to Human Rights Watch, the conviction rate for rape in Bangladesh is below 1 percent.

Marking the 'International Day of Eliminating Violence against Women', Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday said the government, under visionary woman leader Sheikh Hasina, is pledge-bound to build a safer society for women and girls.

He said Bangladesh considers sexual violence against women a social evil. “It’s prevention requires a “whole of society approach”," he said in the message.

“Bangladesh government maintains a strong position against all forms of sexual violence against women and has adopted a multi-pronged strategy to counter this menace through socio-economic, legal, and technological interventions,” the Foreign Minister said.