6th grader gang-raped in Gopalganj

Five men have been accused of raping a sixth grade girl in Muksudpur upazila of Gopalganj.

Police are on the hunt for the accused as all of them are on the run.

Kallol Kirtoniar, son of Krishna Kirtoniar of Baniar Char village in the upazila,is accused of masterminding crime. The investigation officer (IO) of the case did not disclose the identities of the other accused as the matter is under investigation

The victim’s mother filed the case with Muksudpur police station in the early hours of Tuesday. Later in the day, the child was sent to Gopalganj General Hospital for medical tests before being taken to a court.

District Senior Judicial Magistrate Humayun Kabir recorded her statement

IO Nobo Kumar Ghosh, also sub-inspector of Muksudpur police station, said the victim and her relatives went to a puja pandal in their neighboring village called Kadambari to offer prayers on May 15.

“When they were returning home at midnight, the child lagged behind. Seeing her way behind her relatives, the five culprits managed to trick her into accompanying them instead,” the IO said.

Led by Kallol, they took her to a dried-up swamp adjoining a technical school, where they raped her in turns, the policeman said. 

The victim described the incident to the magistrate and also named the rapists, the IO concluded. 

Rape becoming a regular crime

Rapes continue to take place even after the government amended the law to make the death penalty the highest punishment for the crime.

In March, a police headquarters report said 26,695 rape cases had been filed across the country in the last five years.

Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) data shows that 1,018 children were raped last year, but only 683 cases were filed. Furthermore, at least 116 victims were 6 years old or under.

Overall, 1,627 rape cases were reported last year. A total 53 victims were killed by the perpetrators, while 14 took their own lives.

The actual number of rape incidents is believed to be higher, as most victims do not report incidents of sexual assault out of fear for their safety and due to the risk of social stigmatization.

Following days of protests against sexual violence against women across Bangladesh, the government introduced death penalty for rape in October last year. In November, parliament passed the necessary amendment.