Two class-six girls were raped allegedly by eight youths in Raipura upazila of Narsingdi on Monday evening. Local union parishad chairman and others were reportedly trying to settle the matter and no suspect was detained. Quoting the victims their family members said the schoolgirls took up a boat trip with local youths- Kaium and Munna- in a river on Monday afternoon, and the accused tactfully passed the entire afternoon in the boat ride so that the girls could not return home before the evening. When the evening fell, the two youths docked the boat on a riverbank and took the girls behind a school where the two called in six other youths. Later, all of them raped the girls and left them abandoned. The victims managed to return their respective houses and shared the matter with the family members. Seeking justice for the girls, the victims’ families went to the local UP Chairman Masuda Zaman who assured them of settling the matter through arbitration. One of the victims’ father said, "I fell unconscious after hearing the incident after returning home at night. Rapists are influential. We can't go with them. Moreover, thinking about marrying my daughter in the future, I have given justice to the chairman of the area.” Adil Mahmud, officer-in-charge of Raipura police station, said they don't have any idea about such an incident as no complaint was lodged in this regard. Legal action will be taken if complaints are lodged, the OC said.

The acting chairman of Badarpur union in Patuakhali Sadar upazila, Babul Howlader, has been accused of orchestrating an arson attack on the house of a woman who had filed an attempted rape case against him. According to local sources, unidentified assailants set fire to the house of the victim in Mithapur village late last night.The blaze spread quickly, forcing the family members to flee for their lives. Despite efforts by locals to control the fire, most of the house was reduced to ashes. The victim and her family alleged that the attack was carried out at the instigation of acting chairman Babul Howlader and his associates. They claimed they had been receiving threats ever since filing the case against him for attempted rape and looting. A powerful local group had also been pressuring them to withdraw the case, they added. Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Patuakhali Sadar Police Station, Imtiaz Ahmed, said, “We are investigating the matter, and legal action will be taken against those responsible,” he said.Meanwhile, attempts to contact the accused chairman for comment were unsuccessful as he did not respond to phone calls. 

A Dhaka tribunal on Tuesday sentenced three people to death over the gang rape and murder of a teenage girl in Keraniganj three years ago.Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-4 Judge Munshi Md. Mashiur Rahman pronounced the verdict in the morning. One sentenced to death for raping 7-year-old in Khilgaon The convicts are Md. Sajib, Md. Rakib, and Shaon (also known as Valka Shaon).The court also sentenced them to seven years of imprisonment with a fine of Tk 10,000 each for their involvement in disposing of the victim’s body. Failure to pay the fine would result in an additional year of imprisonment.Public Prosecutor Ershad Alam said the court directed the Dhaka District Magistrate to seize the convicts' assets to realise the fine.The court acquitted Ali Akbar and Md. Riaz due to a lack of sufficient evidence against them. Rakib and Shaon were present in the court while Sajib was tried in absentia.On June 11, 2022, police recovered the victim’s body from a pond near the West Bamnansur Jame Mosque in Keraniganj. Man sentenced to life imprisonment for murder in Munshiganj Investigations found that the victim had been gang-raped and strangled before her body was disposed of. Shaon, Rakib, and Sajib confessed to their involvement in the crime.

Police arrested two people in connection with their suspected involvement in the gang-rape of an SSC examinee in Chandina upazila of Cumilla district on Friday. The arrestees were identified as Md Shoyeb, son of Md Billal and Ratan Chandra Sarkar, son of Prabhat Chandra Sarkar of the upazila. The victim filed a case against two identified and four unidentified people on Friday with Chandina Police Station, said Jabed-ul-Islam, officer-in-charge of the police station. According to the case statement, the SSC examinee of Kachua upazila went to Koilan Bazar to meet her friend on March 19. After meeting her friend, the girl hired an auto-rickshaw to go to her village in the evening. A group of young men, numbering 4-5, intercepted the auto-rickshaw and took the girl to a machine room inside the cropland where they violated the girl in turns. The following day, the girl again went to the Koilan Bazar and identified the two rapists. She then informed the matter to the local people who handed them over to the police. Police are trying to arrest the others involved in the rape, said the OC.  

 A 65-year-old man was arrested in connection with his alleged attempt to violate a schoolgirl in Sreepur upazila of Gazipur district on Wednesday.The arrestee is Moselm Uddin of Maizpara village in the upazila.Joynal Abedin Mandal, officer-in-charge of Sreepur Police Station, said Moselm took a schoolgirl near his home and tried to violate the girl on Wednesday. 3 killed in Gazipur road crashHearing screams of the girl, local people caught him and beat him up before handing him over to police .A case was filed in this connection.

Police on Wednesday arrested one of the main suspects over allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl who was abducted from the road in Dumki upazila on Tuesday evening. According to Officer-in-Charge (OC) Zakir Hossain of Dumki Police Station, the primary suspect was arrested shortly after the complaint was filed. “The police are conducting an operation to capture the fugitive suspect, and the victim has been sent to Patuakhali Medical College Hospital for examination,” the OC said. Two die in Joypurhat road accident The OC said that the accused individuals are identified as Sakib Munshi (17), and Sifat Munshi (19). While Sakib Munshi has been arrested, Sifat Munshi remains at large. According to police sources, the victim was on her way to her maternal grandparents' house when she was followed by Sakib and Sifat from the Naldoyani area. At one point, the two men overpowered her, took her to a nearby garden, and allegedly raped her. They also threatened to spread pictures of the assault on social media.

BNP senior leader Selima Rahman on Monday expressed deep concern that women are not safe in society, stating that a "grand festival of rape" unfolding in Bangladesh, with 11 women and children falling victims to rapists. “We are witnessing a grand festival of rape across the country with 11 women and children assaulted in the week following the killing of Achia,” she said. Fakhrul urges quick national election to restore stability The BNP leader made the remarks at a human-chain programme in front of the party’s Nayapaltan central office, organised by the Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal, to demand the trial of those responsible for the rape and murder of eight-year-old Achia in Magura. Citing newspaper reports, Selima, a BNP Standing Committee member, said 43,000 women, including 7,000 children, were raped in the past four years, yet “no justice has been served for them.” She questioned what the interim government did do to improve law and order and ensure the safety of women amid the surge in rape incidents.  The BNP leader warned that the government would be unable to restore peace and stability if it fails to improve law and order. “I would like to tell Dr Yunus that various misleading statements are being circulated. I urge you to become a symbol of peace and establish harmony in Bangladesh by ensuring a fair election,” she said. Selima said Bangladesh is going through such a critical period that women are no longer safe. “We are now living in a country where women are harassed, abused and raped. No one, from children to elderly women, is safe.” She condemned those responsible for the brutal rape and murder of eight-year-old Achia in Magura, describing them as inhumane and beastly. The BNP leader alleged that incidents of rape and violence against women sharply increased during the rule of the fascist Awami League, largely due to the culture of impunity. “But we rid ourselves of that rule as our students and the masses ousted the fascist regime and forced them to leave the country. Even after that, why does the situation remain so dire that women are unable to live freely?” she asked. Tarique promises trial for killings in 2024 uprising if BNP wins Mentioning the role of women in the Liberation War and various movements, including the July-August mass uprising, Selima bemoaned that women still lack security in the country. She said although women were subjected to rape, murder and repression, the criminals were never brought to justice during the previous regime. “But we have now entrusted power to someone we consider a symbol of peace, Dr Yunus. We had hoped that our country would be safe in his hands. Our mothers and sisters would be safe, and we would all be able to speak freely,” the BNP leader said.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Md Sazzat Ali on Monday issued a formal apology following public outcry over his recent comments on the term “rape” during an event. In a statement, the Commissioner clarified his stance, saying, “While discussing the issue of abuse of women and children, I referred to rape as a larger form of abuse. If anyone has been offended by my statement, I apologise.” CA’s office condemns DMP chief’s remark on "rape" The apology comes in the wake of increased public discourse on sensitive issues such as sexual violence, with many questioning the role of law enforcement in addressing these crimes. Earlier, the Office of the Chief Adviser (CA) condemned the remarks made by the DMP Commissioner, emphasising the importance of using the correct terminology in addressing sexual violence. "Rape is rape, whether committed against an 8-year-old or an 80-year-old. Such a heinous crime must be called by its rightful name," the statement said on Sunday. The CA’s office added that the interim government will not tolerate any form of violence against any citizen of Bangladesh. 4 arrested over rape of 19-year-old girl in Jashore The controversy ignited after DMP Commissioner Ali's speech on Saturday, in which he urged the media to refrain from using the term “rape.” He said, “There are two words I dislike, one of which is ‘rape.’ I request you not to use it. Instead, say ‘violence against women’ or ‘abuse.’ Our law also refers to it as violence against women and children. Let’s not use words that sound unpleasant.” Prime accused in Magura child rape case gives confessional statement

Magura rape victim Asiya’s gayebana janaza was held at the VC square of Dhaka University on Thursday. The Anti-Rape Platform (Dhorshon Birodhi Monch) organised janaza on Thursday at 7:30pm. Participants included leaders and activists from Chhatra Shibir, Chhatra Dal, and Chhatra Sangsad, along with the Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan, and university students. Magura rape victim laid to eternal rest; prime accused’s house torched At the time, the DU VC said, “No more children should be lost in this way. The country’s judicial system must be strengthened. May Allah protect Asiya’s family. We will stand by them from our respective positions.” After the gayebana janaza, the crowd marched towards the Raju Sculpture while chanting slogans for justice for Asiya. Ashrefa Khatun, a student of Shamsunnahar Hall, said, “Asiya lost her battle for survival. She could not win that fight, but now that fight has been passed on to us. One of our five demands is ensuring the rapists’ punishment. We will respect the law only as long as it can provide justice. If it fails, then burn the law books. We want to see rapists hanged in public.” Another student Umama Fatema said, “When we take to the streets demanding justice for violence against women, we are labelled and tagged. We want a Bangladesh where no other Asiya has to suffer the same fate. From our Anti-Rape Platform, we have demanded the formation of a special tribunal against rape.” Trial of Magura girl rape case to begin in seven days: Law Adviser  She added that, “There are only two labs in the entire country for collecting evidence from rape victims, and both are in Dhaka. So when will evidence be collected in these labs, and when will justice be served? Women in remote areas of Bangladesh leave their cases in the hands of lawyers because they do not understand these legal complexities.”

A 10-km long tailback was created on Dhaka-Chattogram highway on Monday as students blocked road at Kotbari in Sadar Dakkhin upazila of Cumilla district protesting the recent violence against women and children across the country.Students from different schools and colleges including Cumilla Modern High School, Cumilla Government College, Cumilla Women College and Cumilla Government Victoria College, took to the highway around 10:30 am at Kotbari and chanted slogans protesting rape incidents.Vehicular movement on the busy highway remained suspended for two hours following the blockade, creating a long tailback and causing commuters’ suffering. Magura child rape: Prime accused put on 7-day remand in midnight hearing The students also threatened to go for tougher movement if the authorities concerned fail to ensure exemplary punishment of the rapists.On information, police rushed to the spot and requested the students to withdraw their blockade.The traffic movement returned to normal around 1 pm after police intervention.