Rape and murder of a Hindu woman in Bangladesh
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
September 01, 2009
Radha Rani Halder [28] was a field executive with a local non-governmantal organization named Shariatpur Development Society [SDS]. She was gang raped and brutally slaughtered on 28th June at about 11 in the morning [local time].
On the same day, early in the morning, she went to local areas for collecting dues of micro credit from two villages. But, as she did not return till 6 pm, he colleagues and relatives turned concerned. Three hours later, her slaughtered body was found inside a cultivation field belonging to Arshad Ali Bepari near Baish Rashi village.
SDC Sector Chief –Kamrul Hasan Badal lodged a case at Shariatpur Sadar Police station for murder of this Hindu women and her body was sent to Sadar Hospital for post mortem autopsy.
In the complaint no name of the rapists or killers were mentioned.
Despite lodging of the formal case with the police station, evidences were not sent for post-mortem autopsy to finally prove the case of rape, as local infleuntial people are continuing to pressurize police to some how ´cool down´ the entire episode.
Radha Rani was married on May 10, 2009 to Dipankar Bairagee and were living happy life with her husband.
It is also alleged in the First Information Report [FIR] lodged by SDC staff that more than TK. 37,000 [US$ 550] along with a gold chain and ear rings were looted before the murder.
Some minority activists in Bangladesh are suspecting that Radha Rani Halder was gang-raped before murder while she was collecting loan installments from the local borrowers.
On the other hand, it is alleged by several locals that a few minority activists are trying to cash the incident with imaginary facts and figures just to create ´sensation´ in the minds of prospective foreign donors. Weekly Blitz also have received several documental evidences on such twisting of information by a number of minority activists in the country.
Since the new government in Dhaka came in power in January 2009 under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina as the Prime Minister, it was always expected by people that religious minorities will be safer during the tenure of this new government as Awami League claims to be a secular political party. But, the track record of minority repression is no better than any previous governments in the country.
The present government is yet to lift the ban on publications of Ahmediya community in Bangladesh. Religious books of Ahmediya community were banned by the previous Islamist coalition government at the demand of religious fanatics and millitants.
On the same day, early in the morning, she went to local areas for collecting dues of micro credit from two villages. But, as she did not return till 6 pm, he colleagues and relatives turned concerned. Three hours later, her slaughtered body was found inside a cultivation field belonging to Arshad Ali Bepari near Baish Rashi village.
SDC Sector Chief –Kamrul Hasan Badal lodged a case at Shariatpur Sadar Police station for murder of this Hindu women and her body was sent to Sadar Hospital for post mortem autopsy.
In the complaint no name of the rapists or killers were mentioned.
Despite lodging of the formal case with the police station, evidences were not sent for post-mortem autopsy to finally prove the case of rape, as local infleuntial people are continuing to pressurize police to some how ´cool down´ the entire episode.
Radha Rani was married on May 10, 2009 to Dipankar Bairagee and were living happy life with her husband.
It is also alleged in the First Information Report [FIR] lodged by SDC staff that more than TK. 37,000 [US$ 550] along with a gold chain and ear rings were looted before the murder.
Some minority activists in Bangladesh are suspecting that Radha Rani Halder was gang-raped before murder while she was collecting loan installments from the local borrowers.
On the other hand, it is alleged by several locals that a few minority activists are trying to cash the incident with imaginary facts and figures just to create ´sensation´ in the minds of prospective foreign donors. Weekly Blitz also have received several documental evidences on such twisting of information by a number of minority activists in the country.
Since the new government in Dhaka came in power in January 2009 under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina as the Prime Minister, it was always expected by people that religious minorities will be safer during the tenure of this new government as Awami League claims to be a secular political party. But, the track record of minority repression is no better than any previous governments in the country.
The present government is yet to lift the ban on publications of Ahmediya community in Bangladesh. Religious books of Ahmediya community were banned by the previous Islamist coalition government at the demand of religious fanatics and millitants.