The hartal was called by 'Nagorik Committee,' a citizens' committee consisting of activists of political parties including Awami League, Jamaat-e-Islami and members of professional groups. Jaldhaka Upazila Nirbahi Officer's (UNO) office was besieged during hartal hours.

The Committee brought out processions yesterday and the day before following filing of a case against Jaldhaka Pourasabha chairman and some of his associates by the victim, Morsheda Begum.

The processionists besieged the local police station demanding arrest of the chairman who is also the upazila unit president of BNP.

Morsheda hailing from Uttar Cherenga is mother of a child. She was sent to Nilphamari Modern 50-bed Hospital for medical test. But the test report is yet to be known.

The victim told police and journalists that she went to visit her elder sister at Desibai village on Sunday. After dinner she was returning home by a rickshaw. On way, the miscreants abducted her from Rajarhat at 8 pm and took her to Jaldhaka Pourasabha office where she was confined and raped.

The rickshaw-puller who fled from the spot informed the matter to victim's elder sister. The victim's relatives began a search operation but failed to trace her whereabouts. Finally, they went to the pourasabha office at midnight to inform the matter to the chairman. But to their utter surprise, they found Morsheda confined there. The poura chairman and his goons chased and drove them away from there following which they lodged a complaint to Jaldhaka police.

Another source said, Morsheda was wandering about with another person in the pourasabha area on Sunday evening. The poura chairman's men detained and brought them to the pourasabha where they kept them confined in the office for 'arbitration' in presence of Morsheda's relatives and local elite the next day.

Meanwhile, the chairman's wife Farida Akhter told newsmen that their house was attacked by the Nagorik Committee men. She alleged a guard of her house, Zahedi, was manhandled by them. She blamed her husband's opponents belonging to Jamaat-e-Islami and Awami League for hatching a conspiracy jointly to shatter the image of the chairman whom she described 'a popular leader in Jaldhaka'.

However, the chairman is absconding till filing of the report yesterday afternoon.

When contacted, Nilphamari Superintendent of Police (SP) told newsmen yesterday that action would be taken against the culprit after getting the medical report.