Jumma girl raped by Grameen Bank staff

chtnews.com
News No. 90/2009, July 31, 2009
A physically challenged Jumma girl has been raped by a Grameen Bank staff in Dighinala, Khagrachari, reports say. She has been admitted to Khagrachari Sadar Hospital with injuries.

The incident occurred at around 3:30pm today when Nazrul, a Grameen Bank staff, found Meena Chakma, 20, alone at home in the village of Dighir Par in Boradom. He went there to collect installments on loans payable by her parents to the Grameen Bank.

It is learnt that Meena’s parents Sunil Kanti Chakma and Anita Chakma took a small loan from the Grammen Bank couples of months ago.

As an installment on the loan became due, Nazrul, a field level staff of the Bank, went their house to collect it. But Meena’s parents were busy planting paddy in the field.

He found none except Meena in the house, raped her and then ran away.

Meena is physically challenged; she cannot walk because she has got her spinal cord broken.

Hill Women’s Federation president Sonali Chakma, Hill Student’s Council president Ricoh Chakma and Democratic Youth Forum General Secretary Mithun Chakma condemned the rape of Meena Chakma and demanded immediate arrest of Nazrul.

They also demanded that the Grammen Bank stop its micro credit program in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

“The so-called micro credit program is doing much harm to the Jumma people.” Sonali Chakma said, adding it is a conspiracy to destroy the Jumma peasants by burdening them with loans and interests.

Mithun Chakma said “The Jummas lived without micro credit in the past and they will do so in the future; so we don’t need Sherlock Holmes like Grameen Bank.”