Shah Poran, the younger brother of Fazor Ali who stands accused of raping a Hindu woman in Cumilla’s Muradnagar Upazila, allegedly instigated the mob that assaulted the victim and filmed the incident in an attempt to “teach his elder brother a lesson”.
In line with his plan, a group of men entered the woman’s home, subjected her to physical abuse, and recorded the incident, which was later spread on social media, drawing public outrage, reports bdnews24.com.
Following Shah Poran’s arrest on Thursday in the Burichang area, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) described him as the key instigator, planner, and organiser of the incident.
The case caused a stir after a video of the woman, stripped and beaten, surfaced online. The victim later filed a case against Fazor, accusing him of rape.
So far, six people, including Fazor and Shah Poran, have been arrested in connection with the case.
Addressing a media briefing at the RAB Media Centre in Dhaka`s Karwan Bazar, Lt Col HM Sajjad Hossain, commander of RAB-11, said: “Some of the people who formed the mob and spread the video on social media have been arrested. But the main instigator, Shah Poran, had been evading capture until now.”
He added that both Shah Poran and Fazor had been harassing the victim for a long time. The issue created a rift between the brothers, culminating in a shalish (village arbitration) meeting about two months ago, during which Fazor allegedly humiliated and beat Shah Poran.
“As a result, Shah Poran began plotting revenge against his elder brother,” said the RAB officer.
About 15 days before the incident, the victim had returned to her father’s house. Fazor Ali had previously lent Tk 50,000 to the victim’s mother at interest and frequently visited their home to collect repayments.
On the day of the incident, Fazor had gone there for the same reason.
Sajjad said, “Shah Poran found out about this and told his associates when Fazor would be at the victim’s house. He informed them, saying, ‘If you want to catch him, that’s your chance.’”
“Not long after Fazor Ali entered the woman’s room at night, Shah Poran’s people stormed in, stripped the victim, and recorded a video, which was later spread online.”
In response to a question, Sajjad said: “The entire incident stemmed from the ongoing conflict between the two brothers. They had both been harassing the victim for some time. Both were pursuing her, which led to disputes and eventually the village arbitration. Shah Poran was humiliated in that meeting. What we saw later was an extension of that feud.”
“Fazor Ali had lent money and used that as a reason to visit the woman’s home. Shah Poran planned the mob accordingly. He even sent a message on the messaging app imo, which we have in our possession.”
The message read: "He’ll be going there that day. Do you want to do something to him?"
The RAB has not disclosed the identity of the recipient of that message as that person has not yet been arrested.
When asked about Shah Poran’s political affiliation, Sajjad said: “Crime is crime. Politics is irrelevant here. He’s a CNG autorickshaw driver, and we found no political links.”
On who recorded and shared the video, he added: “We’re still investigating. Some suspects have yet to be arrested.”
Earlier, on Sunday, Cumilla District Police issued a statement saying that on the night of Jun 26, Fazor was detained and beaten by locals in a village in Muradnagar for allegedly raping the wife of an expatriate.
However, he managed to escape afterwards. During the incident, some people recorded a video of the victim and posted it on social media.
Later, law enforcers from Muradnagar arrived at the scene and took “appropriate legal action”.
The victim said that her family had become acquainted with Fazor over the loan, and he used that relationship to enter their home and rape her.
Fazor was later arrested on charges of rape and is currently under police custody while receiving treatment at Cumilla Medical College Hospital.
Four others -- Shumon, Ramzan, Md Arif and Md Anik -- have been arrested under the Pornography Control Act and are currently being held for questioning on a three-day remand.
