THE police arrested 10 people on Wednesday night from a church at Godagary upazila in Rajshahi on the charge of forcing to commit suicide an ethnic minority girl.
A sub inspector of police filled a case against these alleged people in this regard.
The arrested were chief of the santal community Bishwanath Tudu, 70, Shristee Tudu, 56, resident of Sunsunipara, Jotin Hemron, 46, Munir Murmi, 50, Mobin Hemron, 54, Amin Murmu, 50, Shamuil Marandi, 45, Poresh Murmu, 45, residents of Amtali village, and Bishwanath Marandi, 50, of Mohalain village.
Zakirul Islam, officer-in-charge of Godagary police station, told New Age that the police had made a drama to arrest these alleged people.
He said that the police called these 10 people at a church of the community saying that police would sit a meeting in this regard.
But the police arrested the 10 people from the church at around 10:30pm on Wednesday and they were produced to court on Thursday noon, the OC added.
Earlier, two organisations of ethnic minorities, Santal Students’ Union and Jatiya Adibashi Parishad, on Wednesday staged demonstrations and formed human chains under separate programmes in Rajshahi city and Godagari upazila demanding
exemplary punishment of the rapists of the ethnic minority girl who was later forced to commit suicide from humiliation and trauma.
Serafina Mardi, a 14-year-old ethnic minority girl gang-raped 10 months ago, set herself on fire at her Amtulipara home under Godagari upazila in Rajshahi on February 17 and succumbed to the burn injuries on Monday.
After the human chain programme, the Adibashi leaders submitted a memorandum containing the demands to Godagari upazila nirbahi officer, who said he would forward it to the home minister as soon as possible.
The minority leaders also announced that a rally would be held at Shaheb Bazar in Rajshahi city and a memorandum would be submitted to the deputy commissioner of Rajshahi on February 28 to press home the demands.
Sources said after being raped by nine indigenous men on April 4 last year, Serafin filed a complaint with Godagari police station accusing Kallus Mardi, Nirmol Murmu, Julian Mardi, Jewel Mardi, Semon Hembrom, Simon Murmu, Porimol Soren, Ilias Murmu, and Ranjan Mardi of committing the atrocity.
But she was denied justice as the accused managed to make her family to make an out-of-court settlement in exchange of Tk 1.40 lakh, Jatiya Adibashi Parishad general secretary Rabindranath Soren told New Age, adding that rapists were influential people in the local indigenous community.
What had been even more tormenting to the ill-fated teenage girl was that, as part of the settlement, Serafina’s family married her to one of the accused, Nirmol Murmu.
Soon after the accused became sure that they had successfully averted a judicial trial, Nirmol divorced the girl, Rabindranath said.
Serafina, a Class V student of Novera Surshuni Christian Missionary School, had tried to commit suicide several times since November 24, the day the settlement was made, her brother-in-law Jacob Soren told New Age.
Serafina was admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital on February 17, Thursday with burns all over her body. But her family took her back home after two days.
Rabindranath alleged the accused rapists had
forced the family to bring Serafina back from the hospital, although RMCH physicians insisted that her treatment must continue.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
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