Tufan's family wants rape victim as daughter-in-law

After the arrest of alleged rapist Tufan Sarker, a Bogra Sramik League leader, and his sister, sister-in-law and mother-in-law, the perpetrators' family is now trying to placate the victim by offering to get her married to Tufan. Sramik League Convenor Tufan allegedly raped the girl, a recent SSC graduate, in his own home on July 17. On Friday, Tufan's sister-in-law Bogra Municipality Ward 2 Councillor Marzia Hasan Rumki and her mother Rumi Khatun had the victim and her mother dragged to the same house again and subjected them to inhumane torture, beating them and shaving their heads. Ruumki and Rumi Khatun were arrested from Pabna town Sunday evening. From left, Asha Khatun, her sister Bogra Municipality Ward 2 Councillor Marzia Hasan Rumki, and their mother Rumi Khatun. While the councillor and their mother have been arrested in connection with the torture of a rape victim, Asha is still on the run Dhaka TribuneRumki's father Jamilur Rahman Runu was arrested from Bogra's Badurtala area on the same day while Tufan's wife Asha, a cohort named Munna and driver Jitu were arrested from Savar's Hemayetpur area while fleeing. Quite interestingly, police also arrested barber Jibon Robidas, who shaved the victim and her mother's heads, on Monday from Sonarai village under Gabtoli area of Bogra. Asha, wife of alleged rapist Tufan Sarkar, in Savar police custody on Sunday, July 30, 2017 Dhaka TribuneMeanwhile, a Bogra court on Monday placed Rumki on four-day remand and the rest six detainees including Rumki's sister and mother on two-day remand. Speaking to journalists at Bogra Shaheed Zia Medical College Hospital, the victim claimed that Tufan's mother visited her at the hospital on Sunday and offered to marry her to the alleged rapist.

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Tufan and three of his lackeys- Atik, Dipu and Rupom- were arrested on Friday night and Rumki and Rumi from Pabna on Sunday. “She said she would get rid of Tushar's wife, who is a bad woman, and marry me to her son,” the victim said. She told journalists that Tufan and his men used to harass her on the streets regularly. Eventually he lured her to his home with the promise of helping her get admitted to Bogra Government Azizul Haque College and raped her. At a press briefing in the afternoon, Bogra Superintendent of police (SP) Mohammad Asaduzzaman said two cases have been filed in this connection-one is a rape case and the other under Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. Tufan has been made prime accused in both cases, the Bogra SP said. Suspended Bogra city unit Shramik League Convenor Tufan Sarker is allegedly involved in various criminal activities in addition to the rape, including extortion, drug peddling and land grabbing Dhaka Tribune

Tortured because she was raped

Tufan's wife Asha Khatun appears to be of the opinion that the rape was the fault of the victim and she had delegated her sister Ward Councillor Rumki to punish the girl. “Rumki's men picked up me and my mother from our home and took me to their home in Badurtala. There Rumki abused me verbally and beat me. Then she cut our hair,” the victim said. Their anger did not subside and they called over a barber to shave their heads. “Then they brought us back to our home and told us to leave Bogra within 20 minutes,” she said. The victim said although there were police guards with her at the hospital now, she had seen Tufan's men in the area and feared for her safety. But she still wants exemplary punishment for her rapist and those who assaulted her, she said.