Bangladesh: Hindu woman raped at knifepoint in Cumilla wants to withdraw the case saying she wants peace in the country

Days after a man broke into the house of a Hindu woman and then raped her at knifepoint in Cumilla, the victim has now said that she wants to withdraw the case. The horrific crime had created massive outrage in both India and Bangladesh after some people had video recorded the crime and posted the video on social media.

The police have already arrested the main accused Fazar Ali, a Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader, and 4 other people for sharing the explicit video of the victim on social media. The police action came after the victim woman herself lodged a complaint against Fazar Ali with the police at in Muradnagar Upazila of Cumilla.

But in a sudden twist in the case, the Hindu woman on Sunday said that she wants to withdraw the case, as she wants peace in the country. She said, “I will withdraw the case filed against Fazar Ali. No one has put any pressure on me to withdraw this case. I do not want Fazor Ali to be tried, I want peace in the country.” 

When further probed why she does not want to pursue the case, she said that she is doing it as per husband’s opinion. She said, “My husband says that whatever honor is lost, it is gone. If you file a case, it will not be recovered. So I will withdraw the case on my own free will.”

The incident took place on Thursday (June 26) night, when the woman was alone in her house in Baherchar Pachkitta village of Ramchandrapur Dakshin Union of the upazila. Her parents were out of the house, while her husband works and lives in Dubai.

Fazor Ali came to the house and asked her to open the door. When she did not open the door, the accused entered the house by breaking open the door and then raped her. Hearing her screams, the neighbors rushed to the house, thrashed Fazar Ali, and detained him. Some of them also made a video of the crime, showing the victim momentarily without cloths, and uploaded the same on social media. Ali then managed to escape from there. Later when a complaint was filed, police arrested him.

Bangladesh High Court has ordered the removal of video from social media platforms. The court also asked the authorities to ensure security of the rape survivor and provide necessary treatment to her. It is not confirmed yet whether the police will close the case based on the victim’s request as it is a criminal case.

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