Moral degradation behind repeated rape incidents: HC

Expressing concern at the incidents of rape and repression on women across the country, the High Court today observed that moral degradation has reached to such a point that these kinds of incidents are happening repeatedly.

There had been reported allegations against Sonagazi Madrasa’s principal Siraj Ud Doula of sexual assaults on female students, but the governing body of the institution did not take any action against him, the HC said, adding that if the governing body took action earlier, its student Nusrat Jahan Rafi would not face the deplorable consequence.

During hearing a writ petition, the HC bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader said that from children to mothers of five to six are being victims of rape and such incidents are taking place all over the country.

Everyone including politicians, teachers, students, guardians and governing body members have to be aware and play roles to prevent such incidents, the court said.         

The bench came up with the observation while hearing a writ petition filed challenging the local administration’s inaction and failure to take legal action against the people responsible for the rape and suicide of a woman at Subarnachar in Noakhali in March.

Advocate Muntasir Mahmud Rahman submitted the writ petition to the HC on March 4 following the newspaper reports published on March 3 saying that a woman named Poly Akter (22) at Mohammadpur Union under Subarnachar Upazila committed suicide by taking poison after being raped by an Alauddin.

The HC today issued a rule asking the respondents to explain in four weeks why their inaction and failure to take action against the persons responsible for the rape and suicide of Poly Aktar and holding an arbitration to settle the incident should not be declared illegal.

LGRD secretary, deputy commissioner of Noakhali, officer-in-charge of Subarnachar Police Station and chairman and members of Mohammadpur union parishad have been made respondents to the rule.  

Advocate Muntasir Mahmud Rahman told The Daily Star that local union parishad member and local influential people detained Alauddin and they held an arbitration and fined Alauddin Tk 60,000 after he raped Poly Aktar at night on March 1.

The following day, Poly took poison and doctors declared her dead after she was taken to Noakhali General Hospital, he added.

Deputy Attorney General ABM Abdullah Al Mahmud Bashar appeared for the state.