A tribunal in Chattogram on Tuesday formally began the trial of a man accused of raping a four-year-old child in the city’s Bakalia area, after framing charges against him under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.
Judge Syeda Hafza Jhuma of the Chattogram Metropolitan Children Repression Prevention Tribunal ordered the commencement of the trial and scheduled the recording of testimony from nine prosecution witnesses for Wednesday.
State prosecutor Mahmud-ul Alam Chowdhury Maruf said the tribunal had accepted the charges and directed the case to proceed to trial.
The sole accused, Monir Hossain, was present in court during the charge-framing hearing.
He has been charged under Section 9(1) of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000 (amended in 2003).
According to the chargesheet submitted by police, investigators found evidence supporting the rape allegation based on the victim’s medical examination report, DNA analysis, witness statements and the accused’s confessional statement.
Police recorded statements from both the victim and the accused under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and listed 22 witnesses in the case.
The alleged assault took place on 21 May inside a warehouse in Ward No. 19 of Bakalia.
Later that night, the child’s father filed a case with Bakalia Police Station.
Investigating officer Inspector Tanvir Ahmed submitted the charge sheet within five working days of the incident.
Monir, a resident of Miah Khan Nagar in Bakalia and originally from Muradnagar upazila in Cumilla, was arrested shortly after the incident.
On 22 May, he gave a confessional statement before the court of Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Bakr Siddique after reportedly admitting guilt during police interrogation.
Police said the child’s father was in Dhaka and her mother was at work in a garment factory when the incident occurred. The child was under the care of her grandmother at the time.
Investigators alleged that the accused lured the child before committing the offence.
Following the incident, the victim was taken to the One Stop Crisis Centre at Chattogram Medical College Hospital for treatment and medical examination.
The arrest sparked unrest in the area as a group of angry residents attempted to prevent police from taking the suspect to the police station, demanding immediate punishment.
The situation escalated into violent clashes between locals and law enforcement after police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Protesters surrounded police vehicles and set a police truck ablaze during the confrontation.
At least 40 people, including several journalists, were injured in the violence.
In a separate case filed over the unrest, police named 58 individuals as accused and included another 400 to 500 unidentified persons for their alleged involvement in the attacks and clashes.
