Three placed on remand over alleged rape of Gono Bishwabidyalay student

A Dhaka court on Thursday placed three accused  ̵ Tazul Islam Taz, Shrabon Saha and Ontu Dewan  ̵ on remand over the alleged gang rape of a fellow student of the Law Department at Gono Bishwabidyalay.

The court placed Tazul and Shrabon on a three-day remand and Ontu Dewan on a two-day remand.

Dhaka Judicial Magistrate Tajul Islam Shohag passed the order after police produced the accused before the court and sought a seven-day remand.

The court set 7 December for the remand hearing of another accused, Delowar Bhuiyan.

Confirming the development, defence lawyer Mehedi Hasan said, “Delowar had agreed to give a confessional statement but later refused. The court then set 7 December for his remand hearing.”

Meanwhile, fellow students of the victim staged demonstrations on the court premises. Md Shirajul Islam, a student of the university, said, “It is very sad for us that some of our fellow mates raped our sister. We demand exemplary punishment for them. We hope the court will ensure justice.”

According to the case statement, the accused took the victim to Phulertek in Ashulia on 7 April around 11am in the name of going on a picnic. On the way, they allegedly mixed sedatives into a soft drink, causing her to lose consciousness shortly afterwards.

When the victim regained consciousness around 5pm, she found herself inside a mess in Phulertek and realised that the accused had raped her.

When she screamed, the accused allegedly threatened to circulate recorded video footage and obscene photos on social media, and even threatened to burn her face with acid. The accused also extorted Tk96,000 by blackmailing her through intimidation.

The accused again intercepted the victim on 6 November and forced her to engage in sexual relations with another accused, Antu Dewan. When she refused, the accused slapped and beat her and allegedly forced her to drink an intoxicating and toxic substance.

On 2 December, the victim filed a case with Ashulia Police Station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and the Pornography Control Act. Later that night, Ashulia police conducted a drive and arrested the four accused, including three of her classmates.