The suicide of a housewife who was gang-raped for two months in Kurigram’s Rajivpur proved once again that no matter how much the constitution guarantees justice to all citizens; The reality is completely different at least for the marginalized people of the society. Samakal’s report on Sunday said that due to failure to pay only 20 thousand rupees of the loan on time, the creditor even raped the woman himself, taking more parts and raping her at regular intervals. At one point, the victim fell ill and took refuge in the police station hoping for redress, but some policemen took the side of the rapists and turned him back. Out of anger, the victim and her husband drink poison. Not only this, the poor couple went to the hospital and did not get proper treatment as they could not pay the required amount. As a result, the life of the housewife ends. Among the many cases of human rights violations in the country, such a shameful incident is unprecedented. Because there are no fewer instances of rape in the country, resulting in the suicide of the victim. But it is rare for the victim to be released from the police station or even the hospital without treatment.
Undoubtedly, despite the increase in cases of violence against women including rape in the country, there is very little precedent for the victim to get justice, which is enough to expose the criminals involved in these crimes. In addition, as the influence of patriarchy in the state and society is evident, there is nothing to be surprised about the violation of women’s rights. But we think that our law and order forces are not free from the visible influence of the powerful in the state and society. The increasingly commercialized medical system is also not nearly all poverty-friendly. Even in the modern era, a poor woman has no less role behind such multidimensional brutality. As a result, only people who are aware of the incident are upset.
As the National Human Rights Commission said in a press release on Sunday, it has already directed the concerned district administration to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident by forming a committee headed by an Additional District Commissioner. At the same time, calling all the mentioned allegations including rape as tragic and gross violation of human rights, the commission has also directed the Superintendent of Police of Kurigram to closely monitor the investigation of the case filed in this incident and submit a report to the court by July 16. We expect that all concerned will follow the instructions of the commission to the letter, similarly the monitoring of the commission will also continue in the matter. However, aware citizens will also have to protest continuously in the event of these terrible human rights violations. Because at the end of the day, strong public opinion creates an environment conducive to any positive change.