Mother, daughter take to street seeking security amid 'rape, murder threats'
Contacted about the matter, Zahirul Islam, the man accused of making the threats, said he did no such thing
A woman and her daughter in Rajshahi have taken to the streets to protest against reported threats of rape and murder from a local businessman.
Protesting against the threats at Zero Point in Saheb Bazar of Rajshahi city from 11am to 12pm today (18 March), they also alleged that the man filed a false case against them over a property dispute.
The protesting women have been identified as Rozifa Khatun, a resident of Nabnabi village in Tano upazila and her daughter Bakul Khatun, a college student. They were also accompanied by a cousin of Bakul.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
At 11:00am, Rozifa and Bakul stood in Saheb Bazar with a banner that read, "We want to live, we want security, we want justice for injustice, we want justice for rape threats."
They alleged that Zahirul Islam Zahir, a businessman from the same area, attacked and set fire to their house last February over a dispute over 'Debottar' (endowed) property.
Rozifa said they had filed a case against Zahirul over the incident but he was granted bail the next day.
"Since his bail, he has been constantly threatening to murder and rape us. Along with the threats, Zahir's wife Tarina Sultana has filed a false case against us. Four people have been accused in this case," she added.
Bakul alleged, "When I appeared in court on Monday in the case, Zahir tried to take me away from the court premises in a microbus. I was saved after some people came forward."
"Since this incident, we have been suffering from extreme insecurity. We want security," she added.
However, when contacted about the matter, Zahirul Islam denied the allegations brought against him by the mother-daughter duo.
"I do not know who filed the case against them. I did not file any case. Neither did I try to kidnap [Bakul] from court premises. These are false allegations. They have grabbed our land," he said.
Tano Police Station Officer-in-Charge Afzal Hossain said he is not informed of any such incidents.
"If such an incident occurs, they can inform me. I will register a complaint with the police station and take necessary action," said the OC.
