Female Ansar member sues 3 fellow officials

A female Ansar member has sued three of her senior colleagues, bringing allegations of sexual harassment and job dismissal against them.

The 27-year-old, posted in Habiganj, filed the case with the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 on Tuesday, naming three persons -- Khaled Ahmed, Habiganj Sadar upazila officer of Ansar-VDF; Aklima Akhtar, Ansar-VDP Habiganj Sadar Upazila women's trainer; and Ansar party leader Ilias Ali.

According to the case statement, Khaled had withheld a Tk 1,80,000 honorarium bill of the victim and 17 others, issued for their duties in Rajnagar area of Habiganj town during the sixth upazila election.

On September 12, Khaled invited the victim to "go for a walk" when she went to ask for payment, to which she refused. A few hours later, she was asked to visit him at his office to collect the bill. When the victim went to the office, she found Ilias and several others there, according to the statement.

Khaled ordered them to leave but wait outside, while the victim was forced to stay indoors. Khaled then assaulted her. As she tried to escape, Ilias, waiting at the entrance, blocked her and beat her mercilessly, the case statement added.

The victim was rescued by district commander Arup Ratan Paul, who sent her to hospital.

Following this, a video of the incident was released on social media (Facebook), which led to the victim's marital engagement being called off. The victim then filed a complaint with a local army camp.

On September 20, an army team, led by District Commander Mirza Sifat-e-Khoda, visited the Ansar-VDP office. Instead of helping her, Mirza tried to get the victim arrested.

On October 29, the victim and her brother, who is also an Ansar member, were dismissed from their jobs as they protested the incident. The victim initially refrained from legal action in fear of losing her job.

Khaled, the officer in question, denied the accusations. He asserted that no Ansar member could claim that he had behaved improperly. He alleged that the woman had gotten into a sudden argument with party leader Ilias Ali in his office.

Asked about the issue, Ansar-VDP Habiganj District Commander Mirza Sifat-e-Khoda claimed that the female member "damaged her own reputation" by approaching the army with a complaint rather than filing a formal grievance.

He stated that she was dismissed due to various allegations against her.