Staff Reporter:
The eight-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped in Magura last Wednesday, was shifted to Dhaka’s Combined Military Hospital (CMH) from Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DRMCH) for advanced treatment as her condition deteriorated on Saturday.
Social Welfare Adviser Sharmeen Soneya Murshid visited DMCH this afternoon and inquired about the health condition of the rape victim.
As her condition was stated to be critical, the adviser asked the authorities concerned to shift the victim to the CMH to provide her with promptly better treatment.
Later, the medical team, formed to accelerate treatment, took the victim to the CMH by a cardiac ambulance around 5 pm.
Earlier in the day, DMCH Director Brigadier General Md Asaduzzaman told reporters that the girl’s condition was extremely critical.
“We formed a four-member medical board to expedite her treatment, but doctors have expressed little hope for her recovery,” he said.
“The injury to her neck is severe and there are also injuries on her genitals. She was put on life support around 9 pm last night. Doctors have nearly lost hope. The rest is in God’s hands,” he said.
The medical board consists of specialists from the departments of paediatrics, pediatric surgery, anaesthesia and gynaecology.
The third-grader met the tragedy when she was visiting her elder sister’s house in Magura town during the Ramadan school vacation. Someone found the girl alone at the house after her rape, said the victim’s mother.
Police have detained the victim’s brother-in-law and his father but have not yet confirmed whether they would be charged with rape.
On Thursday morning, the victim’s sister’s mother-in-law took her to a hospital, after which neighbours informed the child’s parents, who reside in a different upazila of the district.
While talking to reporters, doctors of Magura Sadar Hospital said that the girl was bleeding from her vagina, had strangulation marks on her neck and scratches on various parts of her body.
Ayub Ali, officer-in-charge of Magura Sadar Police Station, said that police were actively investigating the case.
Meanwhile, the victim’s mother filed a case with the police station this afternoon against the victim’s brother-in-law, his brother, and their parents in connection with the incident.
All the accused are currently in police custody and have already been produced before a court, duty officer of the police station told the Daily Sun this evening.
According to the case statement, the victim’s elder sister married a young man of Magura Municipality four months ago.
The victim’s sister, her husband, father-in-law, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law lived in the same house.
Since the marriage, the father-in-law of the victim’s elder sister had tried to build up an unethical relationship with his daughter-in-law and other family members were aware of the incident.
And, the incident led to a quarrel within the family amid the situation, the eight-year-old child went to visit her sister’s in-laws’ house on 1 March, said the case statement.
