The eight-year-old girl, who is now battling for her life in the capital's CMH, was raped by her sister's father-in-law when she was visiting their home in Magura, police said.

The sister's husband allegedly abetted the crime, they said, adding that the rapist's wife and elder son were also aware of the incident and later even attempted to kill the child to cover it up.

The victim's mother brought the allegations in a case filed with Magura Sadar Police Station yesterday.

The case was recorded under sections 9(4)(a) and 30 of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.

The victim's sister's father-in-law, husband, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law were made accused, and police have already arrested them.

"Primarily, we have learned that the victim's sister's father-in-law raped the girl, and the victim's brother-in-law assisted the father. We'll be able to give more details after further investigation," Belayet Hossain, additional deputy inspector general of Khulna Range, told The Daily Star yesterday.

Meanwhile, the girl, whose condition is now critical, has been transferred to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) from the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for better treatment.

She was taken to CMH in an ICU ambulance from the DMCH around 5:00pm yesterday, DMCH Director Brig Gen Md Asaduzzaman said, adding that the child has been in critical condition from the beginning.

"Although she was under treatment at the DMCH, excessive presence of attendants was causing disruptions for other patients. Additionally, repeated interference from attendants was affecting the medical team's ability to provide proper care.

"Considering these factors, it was decided to transfer the child to CMH for better medical attention and management."

The DMCH had formed a four-member medical board to oversee her treatment, but doctors expressed little hope for her recovery.

"The injury to her neck is severe, and there are also injuries to her genitals. She was put on life support around 9:00pm on Friday. Doctors have almost given up hope," said Brig Gen Asaduzzaman.

Earlier on Wednesday, the child, a third-grader, had gone to visit her elder sister's house in Magura town to spend Ramadan holidays. She was raped that night.

On Thursday morning, her sister's mother-in-law took her to a hospital, after which neighbours informed the child's parents, who live in a different upazila of Magura.

SISTER WASN'T SPARED EITHER

Speaking to reporters, the victim's elder sister alleged that she too had previously been subjected to attempted sexual assaults by her father-in-law, leading her to go back to her parents' house.

She alleged her family pressured her to return to her in-laws' house, disregarding her fears.

Quoting from the case statement, police sources said the sister had married one of the accused four months ago and lived with his family in Magura's Nijnanduali.

In the complaint, the child's mother alleged the accused rapist had previously made inappropriate advances towards her elder daughter, which was known to other family members and had led to disputes.

On March 5, around 2:30am, the victim's elder sister woke up to find her lying unconscious on the floor instead of beside her on the bed.

The child later complained of severe pain and burning in her genital area. She said her brother-in-law had unlocked the door, allowing his father to come in and rape her, said police quoting from the case statement.

The victim said she was forcibly taken to another room, gagged, and raped before being left unconscious on the floor of the room her sister was in.

The case statement further said that when the elder sister tried to inform their mother over the phone, her husband snatched the phone and physically assaulted her.

He also threatened to kill the child if she disclosed the incident. The two sisters were then locked in separate rooms.

At one point, the child lost consciousness.

Later that morning, a neighbour arrived at the house. Taking advantage of the distraction, the rapist's elder son went into the room the child was kept in and poured water on her so she regained her senses.

However, as her condition kept worsening, the sister's mother-in-law, with the help of some neighbours, took her to a local hospital around 10:30am on Thursday.

There, the mother-in-law tried to mislead the doctors regarding what was wrong with the child, but when she realised the doctors figured what happened, she fled.

Md Alauddin, inspector (investigation) of the Magura Sadar Police Station, said, "We produced the four arrestees in court yesterday [Friday] under section 54 [which means they were arrested under suspicion without any case filed]. However, today [yesterday] we're showing them arrested in a rape case filed by the victim's mother. We may interrogate the arrestees in remand."

Speaking to The Daily Star last night, the officer-in-charge of the station said they will take the four to court again today and seek remand.

'SHAME FOR THE NATION'

BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman yesterday spoke with the victim's mother over the phone when a BNP delegation visited DMCH, reports UNB. He assured the family the party would stand by them in their pursuit of justice.

Meanwhile, Akhter Hossain, member secretary of National Citizen Party, after visiting DMCH, said women are not safe anywhere -- be it workplaces, educational institutions, or even their own homes -- "a matter of great shame for the nation".

Calling on the public to take a stand, he said, "Any act of oppression against women, no matter how minor or severe, must be resisted."

He blamed the rise in sexual violence on the failure to ensure justice, saying, "Crimes like rape continue to increase because perpetrators do not face proper punishment. A fundamental reform of the judiciary is necessary."

Akhtar urged citizens to play a more active role in ensuring that criminals are handed over to law enforcement.