Allegation of rape on Rajshahi-bound moving bus not true, claims home ministry
The claim of rape on a Rajshahi-bound moving bus on the night of 17 February is not true, the Ministry of Home Affairs said today (25 February).
"[Claim of] Rape incident on Rajshahi-bound moving bus 'Unique Road Royals' from Dhaka on the night of 17 February is not true," reads a press release of the ministry issued today.
The ministry explained, "This information was confirmed after analyzsng a video clip received from the Superintendent of Police of Tangail. In the video, a female passenger is seen stating, 'There was a robbery on the bus, but no rape took place.' She openly presented her statement."
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The incident occurred on a bus travelling from Dhaka to Rajshahi, where passengers reported the robbery lasting several hours. After the robbery, the bus was returned to an area near where the robbers fled. Passengers initially faced 'incooperation' reporting the incident to the police, and a police duty officer was suspended for negligence.
Citing victims of the incident, several media reports said the Rajshahi-bound Unique Road Royals bus left Gabtoli at around 11:00pm on Monday night (17 February) with around 40 passengers. The robbery started at around 12:30am on Tuesday when the bus reached Mirzapur in Tangail.
The incident took place after the bus picked up some people from the road in the Chandra area of Gazipur.
One of the victims, Majnu Akand of Moukhara village in Natore's Baraigram, told the media that the robbers "molested the girls in the bus. The girls screamed in such a way that they felt that the robbers had harmed them."
