Rape-murder on bus: Nurses demand justice for Tania

Nurses today protested the rape and murder of one of their fellows Shahinoor Akter Tania and demanded justice for her.

Also read: Tania ‘Rape-murder’: Protests on, bus seized

Around 100 nurses under the banner of Bangladesh Nurses’ Association (BNA) formed a human chain in front of Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka around 12noon demanding speedy trial and exemplary punishment of the culprits.

Md Asadujjaman Jewel, general secretary of BNA, said the incident is a blow to the existence and dignity of all the nurses in the country.

“We will take tougher actions in case of any breach of justice for Shahinoor,” he threatened.

Photo: Palash Khan

The President of the BNA branch of Sir Salimullah Medical College and Hospital, Jorina Khatun, said, “We don’t feel safe anywhere, not even in our workplaces.”

The BNA members, however, expressed satisfaction over the quick arrest of five people involved in the heinous act.

WHAT HAPPENED TO TANIA

Family and police said Tania boarded a Swarnalata Paribahan bus from the capital’s Mohakhali to go to her ancestral home in Baherchar village of Katiadi upazila around 3:00pm on Monday.

Tania had called her brother Sujan Mia after reaching Katiadi around 8:00pm and said she would reach shortly Pirijpur, from where her home is some 10 minutes’ rickshaw ride, said police and family.

After passengers got down at Katiadi and Ujanchar, Tania was the only passenger in the bus that headed towards Pirijpur, said Shafiqul Islam, OC (investigation) of Katiadi Police Station, quoting Tania’s family.

After waiting for over an hour and finding Tania’s phone switched off, family members rushed to Pirijpur bus stand, but did not find her there.

Around 11:00pm, the family members came to know from Katiadi Upazila Health Complex that Tania had died.

Seeing her body, they alleged that she was killed after being raped.

During primary interrogation, the bus driver and the helper claimed that the girl jumped off the running bus through a window and died. But they could not explain why she would do that, police said.

The autopsy conducted on Tania later found evidence of gang rape and murder.