Man killed following arbitartion over wife’s rape
A day labourer was found dead on Wednesday, just a day after a local miscreant raped his wife in Gangni upazila of Meherpur district.
The deceased was identified as Ziarul Islam, 23, of Kunjonagar village in the upazila.
Ziarul’s father alleged that the criminal involved in the rape might have killed his son.
According to police, Monsur Ali, son of Dorbesh Ali in the village, broke the door of Ziarul’s house in his absence and raped his wife on Monday night.
Ziarul took up the matter to village elders the following day. They [village elders] then arranged an arbitration headed by Abdul Gani, member of Sholotaka union parishad.
The rapist Monsur, who was present in the arbitration, was fined Tk 50,000.
Refazul Islam, Ziarul’s cousin, told journalists that Monsur had threatened Ziarul and all of his relatives present in the arbitration to face dire consequences for “tarnishing” his image in public.
Sources present in the arbitration said Monsur had threatened to kill Ziarul on broad daylight over the incident. Monsur also refused to pay the amount he was fined in the arbitration.
On Tuesday afternoon, Ziarul went to a local bazar, and remained missing since then, his father said.
His family members searched for him on the night and the following day, but failed to trace him.
The locals had identified Ziarul’s body at a sugarcane field in the village around 6:30pm, said Masudul Alam, officer-in-charge of Gangni Police Station.
On information, police recovered the body, and sent it to Meherpur General Hospital morgue for an autopsy, the OC said. He added that Ziarul was strangulated.
“We are looking into the matter and action will be taken if Monsur is found involved in the incident,” the OC said.
Monsur, however, went into hiding after the incident.
Sadek Ali, younger brother of Monsur, alleged that his elder brother had forcibly captured a bigha of cropland owned by him several years ago.
The deceased’s father filed a case with Gangni Police Station yesterday accusing Monsur and three unnamed.
-With The Daily Star input
