Union Parishad Chair Arrested for Whipping Two Women
by Torturing women and village politics have been the two sides of a coin since the economic downfall started in Bangladesh. Now, the government’s failure along with torture on political opponents have started encouraging others to be unlawful.
Union Parishad chair arrested for whipping 2 women
Md. Rezaul Karim, Assistant Professor, Southern University Bangladesh
The police arrested the chairman of a union council at Alimabad of Mehendiganj in Barisal on Tuesday on charge of whipping a housewife and torturing her mother-in-law for moving court avoiding arbitration. The victim, Ripa Begum, 36, and her mother-in-law, Shanur Begum, 56, were admitted to one-stop crisis centre of Sher-e–Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barisal with severe physical injuries and mental shock. The Mehendiganj police officer-in-charge, Md Zulfikar Ahmed Gazzali, said that Ripa had filed a case through the OCC authorities and sub inspector Ansaruzzaman, who has been appointed investigation officer, had visited the victims at hospital to record their statements.
Ripa, wife of Nasir Mistri of Charphenua at Alimamad, told journalists that her son, who is a minor, quarreled with his playmate, daughter of neighbor Sultan alias Anis Mia, about 45 days ago. Anis at the time beat the boy. Ripa complained against Anis with union council chairman Kazi Abdur Rashid and member Mannan Sheikh about the incident. Shahabuddin, brother-in-law of Anis, then beat her towards the end of June as she had lodged the complaint. Ripa lodged another complaint with the union council chairman and the member and she lodged a case with the judicial magistrate’s court in Barisal and the court ordered a police investigation.
After the incident, the accused attacked the house and beat up Ripa on Saturday morning. He also beat up Ripa’s mother-in-law as she tried to save Ripa. The union council chairman held a session of arbitration on Saturday afternoon and ordered Ripa to be caned 100 times and to be pelted with shoes 20 times. Ledu and Sabud, two of the chairman’s musclemen, administered the punishment, Ripa said. Ripa fell unconscious as she was being beaten. Her mother-in-law was also beaten as she protested at the incident, Ripa’s brother Ali Asgar said.
‘We were barred from taking treatment and were asked not to lodge any complaint with anyone.’ Asgar said. The incident became public when they were admitted to hospital on Monday night which prompted the police to take action. The union council chairman Rashid in Barisal court on Tuesday afternoon said that he had gone to the police superintendent with Ripa’s family on Tuesday noon to explain the matter. ‘The police, however, arrested me in the case lodged by Ripa and sent me to Barisal jail after producing me in court in the afternoon,’ he said. The UP chairman admitted to administering a ‘token punishment by hitting Ripa two times with a bamboo stick’ under his ‘legal and social jurisdiction.’
Courtesy:
New Age
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