A judge at Child Violence Suppression Tribunal in Tangail has sentenced a 55-year-old man to life imprisonment in a child rape case.
Judge Abdul Majid delivered the verdict on Tuesday in the presence of the convict, identified as Rashid Miah, son of Golam, from Agchawali village in Mahera Union under Mirzapur Upazila.
The tribunal also penalised Rashid with a fine of Tk2 lakh, ordering an additional two years of rigorous imprisonment in default of payment.
Moreover, the tribunal directed district collector of Tangail to auction the convict’s movable or immovable property to pay the fine amount to the victim, specifying that if the fine cannot be recovered immediately, it will be realised from any property he owns in future.
In a notable ruling, the tribunal judge declared the convict, Rashid Miah, as the legal father of the child born as a result of the rape, granting her rights of inheritance, and ruled that the state will bear the cost of the child’s maintenance.
The tribunal ordered that it must be informed after determining the monthly payable amount for the child’s education, medical treatment, and maintenance.
Providing details of the case, Public Prosecutor Khandakar Md Rokonuzzaman said on 14 April 2024, the 14-year-old girl went to a pond bank to call her grandmother.
Rashid Miah, a neighbour who was a grandfather figure by relation, told her that her grandmother was at his house, lured the child to his home, and forcibly raped her.
Rashid threatened to kill the child and her family members if she disclosed the incident to anyone. The assault came to light when the victim’s physical condition changed and she disclosed the rape to her mother, having become pregnant as a result.
On 22 December 2024, the victim gave birth to a baby girl at her father’s house.
The victim filed a case as plaintiff with Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal on 5 February 2025, after which the court directed Mirzapur Police Station to record the complaint as a First Information Report (FIR).
Subsequent DNA testing on the convict, Rashid Miah, confirmed him as the biological father of the victim’s daughter.
