Staff Reporter:
An attempt to violate a seven-year-old girl was reported in Chattogram city on Friday, triggering a second day of public outrage that left police cordoned off for nearly two hours.
The child was admitted to the One-Stop Crisis Centre (OCC) at Chittagong Medical College Hospital for examination and treatment, hospital sources said.
The incident occurred around noon in the Hajipara Sunnia Madrasa area under Double-mooring Police Station.
According to locals, the victim went outside her residence when the accused youth dragged her to a secluded place and attempted to rape her. Hearing her screams, nearby residents rushed to the spot.
They caught the accused and beat him up.
Soon a police team arrived at the scene, and somehow managed to form a human wall between the accused and the mob. However, the mob was reluctant to leave the spot amid police persuasions and demanded the accused be handed over to meet his “final judgement.”
Jamal Uddin, officer in-charge of Double-mooring Police Station, said it took nearly two hours before officers could come out of the crowd.
“The situation here was similar to what happened in Bakolia on Thursday night when another agitated mob had besieged cops for seven hours,” he said.
Police eventually took the accused into custody and brought him to the police station for questioning, said the OC.
Earlier, police arrested decoration shop employee Monir Hossain, 30, for violating a four-year-old child in the Chairmanghata area under Bakolia police station on Thursday afternoon.
Upon hearing the news, angry locals besieged the site and kept the cops and the accused confined till 10pm, demanding officers hand over the “culprit” to them. At one stage, police charged batons, and fired teargas canisters, rubber bullets and blank shots to disperse the crowd.
The protesters also attacked police with brickbats and set a police vehicle on fire.
At least five persons including two journalists and cops were injured in the violence.
The accused made confessional statement before a court in connection with the rape on Friday, said OC Mohammad Solaiman of Bakolia Police Station.
