A BNP leader in Netrokona’s Kendua has been removed from all party positions following allegations that he repeatedly raped a schoolgirl and recorded a video of the alleged abuse, which was later circulated on social media.
The accused, Rafiqul Islam Bhuiyan Bakul, was also named as the principal accused in a case filed under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and the Pornography Control Act. The case was lodged at Kendua Police Station late on Tuesday night by the girl’s father.
Five people have been named in the case, while three to four unidentified individuals have also been accused. Police arrested Abu Mia, 35, who is listed as the second accused, at around 3am on Tuesday from the Saudpara area of Kendua municipality. He was sent to court on Wednesday afternoon.
Bakul, 50, remains at large, according to police.
The case has brought allegations of prolonged sexual abuse involving a minor into the public spotlight. According to the first information report and statements from the victim’s family, the girl is currently a Class 10 student. The family alleges that the abuse began around four years ago, when she was studying in Class 6 at Kendua Saberunnesa Girls’ School.
The complaint states that on 20 November 2022, Bakul allegedly took the girl to a house on her way home from school, telling her that he would take her to a doctor. The family alleges that she was raped there and that the incident was recorded on video.
The video was subsequently allegedly used to threaten and coerce the girl into having sexual relations with different people at different locations. The complaint further alleges that several other individuals assisted in the abuse.
The family says the girl recently refused to participate in such activities, after which the previously recorded video was allegedly circulated on social media.
Bakul is the girl’s maternal uncle by relation, according to the case details. Before his removal, he served as joint general secretary of Kendua municipal BNP and general secretary of the BNP unit in Ward 5 of the municipality.
The other named accused are Abu Mia; Bakul’s daughter, Mosa Lima, 21; his wife, Mosa Jahanara Begum, 48; and Mosa Smriti, 32. The case also includes several unidentified individuals.
Following the allegations, Kendua municipal BNP took disciplinary action against Bakul. In a notice issued on Wednesday night, municipal BNP president Khokon Ahmed Dealer and general secretary Md Moazzem Hossain Khan said Bakul had been relieved of his primary party membership as well as all positions at every level over alleged violations of party discipline and involvement in immoral activities.
Moazzem Hossain Khan said he learned about the allegations through social media and subsequently looked into the matter. After what he described as an investigation into the allegations, the local party organisation decided to remove Bakul from his party positions.
Police said efforts were under way to arrest the remaining accused. Officer-in-Charge Tarikul Islam of Kendua Police Station confirmed that Abu Mia had been arrested and subsequently produced before the court.
The allegations are now subject to police investigation and judicial proceedings. The filing of a case or a party disciplinary decision does not by itself establish criminal guilt; the allegations against the accused will ultimately have to be determined through the legal process.
