Two members of Bangladesh Ansar and VDP have been arrested on allegations of gang-raping a teenage housewife who had sought shelter with her husband at Manikganj General Hospital late at night for safety.
Police stated on Monday that the incident took place late Sunday night at 250-bed Manikganj General Hospital, where the couple had gone after their journey was interrupted due to the late hour.
According to police and hospital sources, the accused Ansar members allegedly intimidated the husband and sexually assaulted his wife inside the hospital premises.
The arrested are identified as Shahadat Hossain, 29, of Bhuapur upazila in Tangail, and Abu Sayeed, 25, of Karimganj upazila in Kishoreganj. Both were deployed by hospital authorities to provide security at the facility.
The victim, a 16-year-old girl, is currently receiving treatment in the hospital’s gynecology ward. Her family home is in Singair upazila of Manikganj, although she has been living in Narayanganj with her husband since their marriage about seven months ago.
Police said the couple had left Narayanganj around 3:00 pm on Sunday on a battery-powered van to visit the girl’s maternal relatives in Manikganj Sadar. Around midnight, near the Manikganj bus terminal, the van ran out of charge. Concerned about their safety, they took shelter around 12:30 am under a tree in front of the hospital’s emergency department.
At that time, the two Ansar members on duty reportedly approached the couple, offered them security, and took them to the ground floor of the hospital’s newly constructed eight-storey building. Police alleged that the accused then threatened the husband, kept him confined downstairs, and took the girl to the second floor, where the assault took place.
After the incident, the victim informed her husband, and with the help of patients’ attendants at the hospital, the two Ansar members were detained. Police later arrived at the hospital and took them into custody.
Speaking from her hospital bed on Monday, the victim said she had been brutally abused and demanded justice. Her husband alleged that the Ansar members, who were in uniform, forcibly took his wife after threatening him.
Hospital Resident Medical Officer Md Touhidul Islam said all Ansar members on duty were immediately called in after the allegation surfaced, and the accused were identified and handed over to police. He added that the victim’s medical examination had been completed and she is receiving treatment.
Manikganj Superintendent of Police Mohammad Sarwar Alam visited the hospital on Monday afternoon and spoke with the victim.
Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Ikram Hossain said the two Ansar members were arrested on charges of raping a woman who had sought refuge in the hospital.
A case being about to be filed in this regard, added the OC.
