4 policemen withdrawn over 'rape' of woman on moving train
A two-member committee has been formed to determine whether the officers were involved in the alleged assault, extortion and unauthorised search of the woman.
Four railway policemen, including an assistant sub-inspector (ASI), have been withdrawn following an allegation that a 44-year-old woman was raped on a moving train in the presence of police personnel.
The four — Railway Police ASI Khokon Islam and constables Fazle Rabbi, Golam Mostafa and Ashikur Rahman — have been attached to the Railway Police Lines in Pakshi, said Mehedi Hasan, superintendent of police of Pakshi Railway Police.
A two-member committee, headed by Assistant Superintendent of Police Din-e-Alam of the Ishwardi Railway Police Circle, has been formed to investigate the allegation, he said.
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The committee has been asked to submit its report to the police superintendent within seven working days.
Police Inspector Hafizur Rahman of the Ishwardi Railway Police Circle is the other member of the committee.
The committee will investigate whether two of the four police personnel, who were on duty on the train, forcibly took Tk 10,000 from the woman, searched her body despite the absence of a female police officer and had any role in or assisted the alleged rape, said SP Mehedi.
Police are also working to identify the two personnel allegedly involved in the incident.
The investigation committee will speak to the woman and seek her assistance in identifying the two police personnel, the SP said.
According to the complaint, the woman was travelling without a ticket on the Kurigram Express from Dhaka on the night of 30 August.
She boarded the train at Airport Railway Station intending to travel to Sirajganj. After railway police members became suspicious, they searched her and asked about her destination.
When she said she was going to Sirajganj, the police personnel reportedly told her that the train did not stop there. She then said she would travel to Parbatipur in Dinajpur to visit relatives.
The police personnel allegedly took her to the train's canteen and left.
Around 4am on 31 August, the woman called the national emergency service 999 alleging that she was raped inside the moving train in the presence of police personnel.
Later, Santahar Railway Police tracked the train's location and asked Parbatipur Railway Police to rescue the woman.
When the train reached Parbatipur Junction, railway police rescued the woman and arrested the canteen boy identified as Abu Bakar Siddique.
A case was filed at Santahar Government Railway Police Station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.
