Attempted rape in Dighinala, Army intervenes

chtnews.com
News No. 37/2008, February 29, 2008

A 14-year old Jumma girl has been subjected to sexual assault in Dighinala under Khagrachari district.

A belated report from the area said on 19 January 2008, Saturday, at around 4 pm Ms Orchoto Chakma (father's name Birendra Chakma) of Hatchinsonpur village under Kobakhali Union (No. 3) went to the nearby grazing field to fetch their cows.

Seeing her alone, a settler cowboy named Shukkur Ali, aged 21, s/o Suruj Ali of the same Hatchinson area grabbed her and made attempts to rape her. He was probably lying in wait for her, for he must have known who the cows belonged to.

Orchoto resisted with all her might and as luck would have it, found a wood or bamboo stick to defend herself. As she got a breathing space she cried aloud for help.

Hearing her scream, the villagers rushed there, rescued her and nabbed the culprit red-handed. Later they handed him over to Bishwa Kalyan Chakma, chairman of Kobakhali Union Parishad.

Later in the day, after the incident, an arbitration meeting was held in the house of UP Chairman Biwsha Kalyan Chakma in which elders from both the communities attended. The settlers were represented by Borhan Uddin, member of Ward No. 5, Kobakhali Union Council, Boshor Member, Monnaf Leader and others.

The meeting unanimously decided to fine Shukkur Ali, the offender, Taka 500 for attempted rape.

However, one week after the said arbitration meeting the settlers approached Qamrul Hassan, second-in-command of Dighinala zone, who was the mastermind behind attempts to capture Sadhana Tila land last year, and asked for his help to make the Jummas pay for the "insults meted out to the whole settler community" by slapping a fine on Sukkur Ali for a trivial matter.

Emboldened by their meeting with the army commander, the settlers flouted the decision taken at the arbitration meeting and made a counter-demand that the Jummas must pay Taka 30,000 for "beating" Sukkur Ali.

In the meantime, Qamrul Hassan called the Jumma elders to his camp and threatened to "smash the bones of their body" if the demand of the settlers were not met.