Human chain in Chandina demanding the arrest of the accused in a rape case

Eight days have passed since the police filed a case against an eight-year-old girl in Chandina, Comilla, for attempting to rape her. Conscious students and youth of the area held a human chain and protest program in Shalikha village of Shuhilpur union of the upazila on Monday (October 19) afternoon, demanding the immediate arrest of the accused and exemplary punishment.People of different ages participated in the program titled 'Human chain of students and youth demanding child safety and justice', holding banners. At that time, the banner read - 'We want a fair investigation and justice for the sexual abuse of an 8-year-old child', 'Demand for quick arrest', and 'Demand for an impartial investigation'. The participants in the protest raised various slogans demanding the quick arrest and trial of the accused.Earlier, on Sunday (October 11) morning, an eight-year-old child was allegedly raped at the home of Miaji in Shalikha village of Shuhilpur Union No. 1 of the upazila. The accused, Md. Chanaullah (60), is the son of the deceased Tamiz Uddin of the village and is the muezzin of a local mosque and a tea shop businessman.According to the victim's family and local sources, on the morning of the incident, when the child went to the shop of accused Chanaullah, he lured her inside by offering her biscuits. Then, inside the shop, the child was forcibly molested and tried to rape her. Later, the child ran away and informed her family about the matter.On the afternoon of the incident, the accused Chanaullah tried to cover up the matter by giving 3,000 taka to the child's father. Later, when the matter was reported to some local elders, they assured a fair trial. However, in an arbitration meeting on the afternoon of October 12, Chanaullah was fined 110,000 taka. The victim's family rejected the arbitration decision and financial settlement and took legal recourse. Later, it was alleged that a section of local elders threatened the family.Although a case was filed at the police station in this incident, the main accused has been absconding for eight long days, causing intense anger in the area.Chandina Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Nuruzzaman said that police were sent to the spot immediately after receiving the news. However, the accused fled after sensing the presence of the police. The victim's mother has filed a case in this incident. The police operation to arrest the accused is ongoing and the legal process is underway. I am not aware of the human chain.