Allegations have surfaced that high-level BNP and Chhatra Dal leaders brokered a settlement in a case in which Riyel Islam Lion (30), joint convener of the Darshana thana Chhatra Dal in Chuadanga’s Damurhuda upazila, was accused of rape, deception and misappropriation of money involving a woman. The information emerged from mobile-phone conversations on Friday night with the complainant and with Riyel Islam Lion.
Just four days after filing a general diary (GD) alleging rape on a false promise of marriage, misappropriation of money and repeated threats, the woman applied on Friday night for no further legal action to be taken on the complaint. The matter has generated wide discussion in social and political circles in Chuadanga and Dhaka. According to the GD filed at Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Mohammadpur station on Monday, 1 June, Riyel Islam Lion Russel, a resident of the Darshana Keru area of Damurhuda upazila, developed a close relationship with the woman on a promise of marriage, maintained a physical relationship with her over a long period, took a large sum of money and threatened her by phone at various times. The complaint also gave the accused’s mobile number and address, and the applicant demanded a proper investigation and necessary legal action.
But the case took a dramatic turn on Friday, when the woman submitted another written application at Mohammadpur station. She said the matter had been settled through an arbitration meeting in the presence of notable persons, that she had no further complaint against Riyel Islam Lion Russel, and that she would not complain about the matter in future. For personal and family reasons, she said, she no longer wished to take any legal action on the basis of the previously filed GD, and she asked to be released from further proceedings although the GD remains on record.
The withdrawal of such serious allegations so soon after they were filed has raised many questions in local circles about the reality behind the complaint, how true the allegations were, and the circumstances of the settlement. Records show Mohammadpur station duty officer Sheikh Tamim Ahmed accepted the GD. Mohammadpur station OC (investigation) Rakibuzzaman said many people file such GDs, and advised speaking to the investigating officer. Verifying the truth of the allegation and the counter-position is the responsibility of the relevant investigating agency, which is expected to uncover the real events after investigation.
Riyel Islam Lion said two senior party groups had worked on his behalf, that a settlement had been reached with the woman’s family, and that the woman herself had applied to withdraw the GD. The woman said the matter had been settled in a meeting between her family and BNP leaders, adding: “Whoever the offender is, Allah will judge; I have applied to withdraw my GD.” Chuadanga district court public prosecutor (PP) advocate Maruf Sarwar Babu said a serious allegation such as rape, once a GD or case is filed, is not compoundable through settlement, and that proceedings would continue under the prevailing law based on the law-enforcement investigation. Chuadanga district Chhatra Dal president Shahjahan Khan said there had been wide discussion in the area but that he did not know about the settlement. Chuadanga district BNP organisational secretary Khalid Mahmud Milton said he had heard of the incident and that Darshana municipal BNP leaders might have advised a settlement, but that it had no political connection.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report