Md. Moniruzzaman, Mymensingh:
A 60-year-old grandfather has been accused of raping his 7-year-old neighbor’s granddaughter in Kaunia village of Ashtadhar union in Sadar upazila of Mymensingh. Locals and the victim’s family are protesting against this heinous incident and demanding the immediate arrest and maximum punishment of the accused Hannan Sarkar. A huge human chain and protest march was held on Tuesday (March 24) at 3 pm. Around 200 people from the victim’s family, various local political and social organizations, and several nearby unions spontaneously participated in the program. The entire area erupted in a frenzy with banners and slogans demanding justice for the victimized child. According to local and family sources, on March 12 (Thursday), at around 5 pm, Hannan Sarkar (60), son of Ishaq Sarkar of Kaunia village, lured a 7-year-old madrasa student of the area to eat gandari and took her to a corn field near the house. There was another child with the child. Although the child managed to run away after realizing the situation, Abujh Kabiri (pseudonym) was trapped. She was brutally tortured there. Accused Hannan is the father of 2 sons and 1 daughter and is the child’s grandfather.
The angry crowd first gathered at Kaunia Railway Gate on Tuesday afternoon and formed a huge human chain. Then a protest procession started from there and circled various roads before ending at Ashtadhar Bazaar. Local resident Mehdi Hasan Iqbal, who was present at the human chain, expressed his anger and said, “In our society today, children are not even safe from their own grandfather. The only punishment for the heinous crime that Hannan committed is hanging. If the administration delays arresting him due to the influence of Hannan’s black money, we will be forced to take stricter measures.”Rubel Hussain, who was present at the human chain, said, “Even after 12 days of the incident, the police have not been able to arrest Hannan Sarkar. Such a deterioration in the law and order situation is really worrying us about our security.”
The victim’s father said in a tearful voice, “Ever since the incident, a special group has been threatening me and my family to cover up the matter. I want a fair trial for this brutal torture on my daughter.” Earlier, the father of the victim in this incident filed a case with the Mymensingh Kotwali Model Police Station. However, even after 12 days of the incident, there is extreme anger among the locals as the accused has not been arrested. At the end of the human chain, the speakers strongly demanded the immediate arrest of the accused Hannan Sarkar and bringing him to justice.
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