A Dhaka court on Thursday placed three on remand over the alleged gang rape of a fellow student of the Law Department at Gono Bishwabidyalay.
The accused students are Tajul Islam Taj and Shrabon Shaha, both second-year students of the Law Department and another student Antu Dewan, cousin of university VP Yasin Al Mridul Dewan.
The court placed Tajul and Shrabon on a three-day remand and Antu 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, on the morning of April 7, the suspects lured the victim under the pretext of a picnic to Phulertak area of Ashulia.
During the trip, the victim was given a soft drink mixed with sedative drugs, causing her to lose consciousness for a period. When she regained consciousness around 5:00 PM, she found herself at a residence in Phulertak, where the suspects had forcibly subjected her to sexual assault.
The complaint further alleges that the suspects threatened the victim with acid attacks and circulated explicit photos and videos of her on social media to coerce her into paying money. Over several months, they extorted a total of Tk 96,000 from her.
The victim also reported that on November 4, the suspects again tried to force her into sexual relations. On November 6, under the direction of the fourth suspect and along with Antu Dewan, they pressured her again.
When she refused, she was verbally abused, beaten and dragged toward the fourth suspect. During this assault, the suspects forced her to consume a toxic, intoxicating beverage.
She later became severely ill and was admitted first to the Community-Based Medical Clinic and then referred to Dhaka Medical College for treatment.
On November 26, when the victim returned to the university around noon, the suspects locked her inside an academic room of the Law Department and pressured her to withdraw her complaint.
She was released around 3:00 PM, and the university administration reportedly took no action, prompting the victim to file a formal complaint at Ashulia Police Station the next day.
MAL/NSA
