News No. 88/2013, Friday, July 26,
2013
A TEENAGE Jumma girl was raped by a
Bengali settler yesterday in Subolong Union in Rangamati district, prompting
the settler elders to settle the issue with the girl’s parents.
The 15-year old girl fell victim to
Md. Malek, 25, son of Idris when she went to bring in their family goats from a
hill about half a kilometer away from their home in the village of Ukchari.
Md. Malek, from Barunachari village,
found her alone and raped her.
The incident took place between 4
and 5pm Thursday.
Devastated by the ordeal she had
been through, the girl came and told her story to her community people at a
local tea shop.
When the matter became known in the
locality, settler elders including Md Idris held an arbitration meeting with
some of the Jumma elders where Md Malek was found guilty of the crime, but was
allowed to get away with it – the matter was settled with a payment to the girl
of a paltry sum of Taka five thousand in compensation.
No case has been filed with the
police against the perpetrator.
One villager who went by the name of
Alok Chakma commented: “It’s not justice; it’s a travesty of justice. How can
that man get away with such a heinous crime with just Taka five thousand ($
62.5)? It’s unbelievable!”
He said the village elders had no
right to try such a serious offence and demanded that Malek be arrested and
punished.
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