A child rapist was allowed to walk free in Habiganj, after he paid Tk20,000 as an out-of-court settlement to the victim’s parents, mediated by a local councillor.
According to locals, the victim, a fifth grade schoolgirl lives with her parents in the Chunarughat upazila area.
The girl’s parents left for the wetlands area in search of work on May 2, leaving her alone at home.
Learning that the young girl was home alone, a neighbour of the family, Ujjal Mia, 37, drugged and raped the child for two consecutive nights.
Locals learned about the incident after the victim suffered severe physical complications following the sexual abuse. Her parents also returned home after being informed about the incident.
Local Councillor Kajal Mia settled the matter through a salish (village arbitration), and asked Ujjal to pay the victim’s family Tk20,000 as compensation.
The victim’s physical condition however deteriorated due to the abuse she suffered at the hands of Ujjal.
On Wednesday, Annika Das, organizer of BRAC's social empowerment program, visited the girl with plans to take her to a hospital for proper treatment.
Chunarughat police later rescued the victim and took her to Habiganj Zila Sadar Hospital for medical checkup, confirmed Officer-in-charge KM Azmiruzzaman.
Speaking to the correspondent, Annika Das said: “Ujjal is a known miscreant and has questionable reputation in the area.”
Meanwhile, Councillor for Chunarughat Ward 1, Kajal Mia commented: “The girl’s family is poor. They will not be able to go through with the legal process. So, the matter was settled out-of-court by making Ujjal pay a compensation of Tk20,000.”
The victim’s father filed a case over the incident on Wednesday night, naming Ujjal as the prime accused. The local police have launched a drive to detain the culprit.
