Two sentenced to life imprisonment in Rangpur rape case

Nazrul Islam, Rangpur: A court has sentenced a housewife to life imprisonment after raping a housewife in Rangpur after a long period of 17 years. Judge M Ali Ahmed of Rangpur Women and Child Abuse Suppression Court-3 handed down the verdict on Thursday afternoon. The two accused were present in the court when the verdict was announced. According to the details of the case, the accused Ekramul Haque and Abul Kalam Azad blocked the way of Milon Sheikh, son of Shawkat Sheikh of Ekbarpur Dakshinpara village in Pirganj upazila of Rangpur on September 1, 2004 at around 11 pm on his way home. The accused tied Milon Sheikh to a tree at gunpoint, abducted his wife and gang-raped her in a secluded place near Madarganj College. The housewife was left behind by the police. Rescues. The victim's husband Milon Sheikh filed a case with the Pirganj Police Station under the Women and Child Abuse Act. Following the investigation, the investigating police filed a chargesheet against SI Iqbal Bahar and two others. Out of 15 witnesses in the case, 12 testified in court. After a long trial of 16 years, the wise judge finally convicted the two accused Ekramul Haque and Abul Kalam Azad and sentenced them to life imprisonment for rape and 14 years rigorous imprisonment for kidnapping. After the verdict was announced, the two accused were taken into police custody and later sent to the Central Jail. Special PP Taibur Rahman Laiju Advocate and APP Makzia Hasan Diba Advocate conducted the case on behalf of the plaintiff. They said that even though it was late, the candidates got justice like a heinous incident. We think that this is a step towards establishing the rule of law. On the other hand, the lawyer of the accused Abdus Salam said that they have not received justice. He will file an appeal in the High Court against this order.