Hindu widow raped, tortured in Bangladesh: Accused tie her to tree, cut hair; 2 held

A Hindu widow in Bangladesh was tortured, raped and tied to a tree before her hair was cut by two local men, one of which had “an evil eye on the woman and made repeated indecent advances,” according to local outlet Bangladesh Partidin.In the tragic incident, which happened in Jhenaidah district on Saturday night, the 40-year-old woman was reportedly subjected to brutal torture by men who had followed her for the past two and a half years.According to the complaint and the victim’s statement, around two-and-a-half years ago, the Hindu widow woman had purchased a two-storey house and 300 decimals of land for 20 lakh taka from Shahin and his brother, residents of Nandipara under the Kaliganj municipal area. After the purchase, Shahin allegedly began casting an evil eye on the woman and made repeated indecent advances. When she rejected him, he continued “to harass her in various ways”.The woman, after suffering the torture, lost consciousness. Later, the local residents rescued her in an injured condition and admitted her to Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital. Dr Mohammad Mustafizur Rahman, superintendent at Jhenaidah General Hospital, said the woman initially did not disclose the crime. “Later, through medical examination, we came to know that she had been subjected to torture,” he told the local news outlet.Jhenaidah additional superintendent of police Bilal Hossain said, “We have called the victim to the police station and registered her complaint. After completing the investigation, the police will take strict legal action against those responsible.”The two local men have been arrested in Kaliganj after the survivor subsequently lodged a complaint against Shahin and his accomplice at the Kaliganj police station.