Trial begins against 8 BCL men over MC College gang-rape

All the eight accused of MC College gang-rape. Photo: Collected.

A Sylhet court has ordered to begin trial against eight activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) has begun in the much-talked MC College gang-rape case.  

Justice Muhithul Haque of the Sylhet Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal passed the order after the chargesheet was framed against all the eight accused on Sunday.

The accused are- Saifur Rahman, 28, Tarekul Islam Tarek, 28, Arzun Laskar, 25, Rabiul Islam, 25, Mahfuzur Rahman Masum, 25, Misbahul Islam alias Rajan Ahmed, 26, Shah Mahbubur Rahman Rony, 25, and Ayinuddin, 28.

Confirming the information, Special Public Prosecutor Rashida Saida Khanam said that the charge framing hearing in the case was postponed twice as the plaintiffs sought time to review the chargesheet.

Earlier, the court was set to frame the charges firstly on 3 January. Later, the court deferred the charge framing hearing in the case till 13 January following a plea of the accused.

Later on 12 January, the court took into cognisance the charge sheet filed against all eight accused in the case.

The plaintiff's lawyer Sirajul Islam told, "The court took cognisance of the charge sheet as we have no objection. The trial began today with the formation of charges in the court."

In the evening of 25 September last year, a group of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists kidnapped a newly-wed couple from the main entrance of the MC College at Tilagar in the Sylhet city.

Later, they gang-raped the woman in the college's male student hostel at Baluchar keeping her husband confined at the dormitory.

The victim's husband later filed a case in this connection with the police against six identified and three unidentified persons.

The police arrested the eight suspects and later all the eight accused confessed their crimes before the court under section 164 of penal code.