The couple was talking in their car in front of the main gate of MC College on Friday night. Five young men surrounded their car and unloaded them. Three young men dragged the girl to a room in the 7th block of the dormitory. The two kept her husband in the car. An hour later, the husband found his wife devastated.
A young woman who was going for a walk with her husband has been allegedly gang-raped. The incident took place in front of a room in Block 7 of MC College Hostel in Tilagarh area of Sylhet on Friday night. The dormitory was closed in the Corona situation. However, that room of the dormitory has been known as the room occupied by Chhatra League since 2012. It has been alleged that 6-7 activists of a party of Chhatra League in that room were involved in the incident.
Upon receiving the news, a team of police from Shahparan police station of the metropolitan police went there and rescued the couple around 10:30 pm. A motorcycle used by the accused rapists was recovered from the spot. The couple’s personal car was recovered.
Sylhet Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (South) Moha. Sohail Reza told Prothom Alo that some youths picked up his wife and raped her in a secluded place of the dormitory while holding her husband. Police have launched an operation to identify and arrest the rapists.
When contacted at around 8.30 am on Saturday, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of Sylhet Metropolitan Police Jyotirmoy Sarkar told Prothom Alo that raids were carried out in the surrounding areas including the dormitory from 3 pm on Friday. No progress has been made yet in identifying and arresting the rapist. He said the girl was admitted to the OCC (One Stop Crisis Center) of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital around 12pm. Attempts are being made to identify the rapist from the owner of the motorcycle recovered from the spot.
Police have received information about six regular commuters to the dormitory. The houses of these six are in Habiganj, Sylhet, Dirai and Jagannathpur of Sunamganj. They are former students of MC College and Chhatra League activists.
Shahparan police station sources
According to the police, the house of the girl (20) is in South Surma of Sylhet. She drove with her husband to MC College area on Friday afternoon. Her husband was driving the car. After the evening, they left the car in front of the main gate of the college and shopped from a shop. Later they were sitting in the car talking. At around 8 pm, five youths surrounded their car and forced the husband and wife out of the car. Three young men dragged the girl to a room in the 7th block of the dormitory. Her husband was then stuck in the car by two young men. When he was released an hour later, he went to a room in the 7th block of the MC College dormitory and found his wife devastated.
On July 7, 2012, 42 rooms of the dormitory were set on fire due to the clash between Chhatra League and Shibir. The renovated hostel was inaugurated on October 14, 2014. Since then, Chhatra League has been controlling the residence of residential students in the dormitory alone. Although there is no BCL committee in MC College.
A teacher of MC College and two residents of the residential area next to the dormitory said on condition of anonymity that some people from Baluchar area were watching the MC College dormitory after hearing her husband’s screams. At one stage, hearing the screams of women, teachers and staff from the staff quarters adjacent to the dormitory went to the spot and saw the husband and wife. Their car was then in front of the dormitory gate. Locals informed the Shahparan police station after seeing a motorcycle parked on one side. When the police reached the spot, the couple described the incident to them.
The young woman’s husband told police that there were five to six people who caused the incident. He has seen two of them before in MC College and dormitory. The two kept him in their car. Three to four people dragged his wife in front of him and took her to the 7th block of the dormitory. An hour later, the three youths ran away and the two youths who had taken him hostage also escaped.
MC College principal Saleh Ahmed told Prothom Alo, ‘A group of police led by the officer-in-charge of Shahparan police station at night asked permission to enter the dormitory. I then talked to the dormitory caretaker and two teachers living in the staff quarters and allowed the police to enter the dormitory area. After a while, it was reported that there was an incident of rape. Upon receiving this news, I also informed a team of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-9). A RAB team is investigating with the police.
The dormitory is closed due to Corona situation. I heard that the leaders (Chhatra League leaders) were there. I don’t know anything else. I have asked the police and RAB to arrest those involved in the incident and bring them under punishment.
Principal Saleh Ahmed, MC College
MC College, established in 1892, is one of the oldest educational institutions in Bangladesh. The Assam dormitory was built in 1920 during the British rule on a 600-acre site in the Tilagarh area of the city. On July 8, 2012, 42 rooms of the dormitory were set on fire due to the clash between Chhatra League and Shibir. The renovated hostel was inaugurated on October 14, 2014. Since then, Chhatra League has been controlling the residence of residential students in the dormitory alone. Although there is no BCL committee in MC College. District and metropolitan BCL committees in Sylhet have also been suspended from the center. No one in charge of the BCL could be reached for comment on the incident of rape in front of the BCL room in the hostelTwo former leaders of MC College and Sylhet Metropolitan Chhatra League, who did not want to be named, said the room in Block 7 has been known as ‘Chhatra League’ since the incident of arson in the dormitory. Since the opening of the dormitory on October 14, 2014, several factions of the BCL have been formed to control the room. On 13 July 2017, there was an incident of vandalism in the dormitory to spread dominance on both sides of the BCL. The dormitory was reopened on July 29 of that year after being closed for about a week. On the night of August 6 last year, the last dormitory was closed in the face of occupation of several rooms and a new building in the 7th block of the dormitory. The dormitory was closed from March 25 this year due to the Corona situation.
While holding her husband captive, some youths picked up his wife and raped her in a secluded place of the dormitory. Police have launched an operation to identify and arrest the rapists.
Moha. Sohail Reza, Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police (South)
Asked if the room in front of which the rape took place was a room occupied by the BCL, Principal Saleh Ahmed said, “The dormitory is closed due to the Corona situation.” I heard that the leaders (Chhatra League leaders) were there. I don’t know anything else. I have asked the police and RAB to arrest those involved in the incident and bring them under punishment. ‘
According to a Shahparan police source, the police have received information about six regular commuters in the dormitory. The houses of these six are in Habiganj, Sylhet, Dirai and Jagannathpur of Sunamganj. They are former students of MC College and Chhatra League activists. The operation to catch them has been going on since 3 pm on Friday. However, the police did not find anyone.
