Dhaka, Mar 08 (V7N) –The 16-year-old older sister of the critically injured rape victim from Magura recounted the disturbing behavior she was subjected to at the hands of her father-in-law.
She said: "At first, everything was fine, but last December, one night, in the dark room, someone hugged me from behind. I was really scared. After that, my father-in-law started behaving inappropriately with me. When I told my husband about this, he, instead of supporting me, beat me up.
“Later, when I told my mother, she believed me. But, on one hand, due to financial struggles and on the other, fearing that my marriage would break, she sent me back to my in-laws' house with my younger sister," she added.
The critically injured child from Magura and her older sister attended a local school up to the fifth grade.
However, due to their father's mental instability and the family's financial difficulties, they were unable to continue their studies.
Last November, the older sister was married to Sajib Sheikh, the son of the accused Hitu Mia, in a family-arranged marriage.
She stated: "On Wednesday, after having Sehri, my sister, my husband, and I went to sleep. A little later, I woke up and went to the bathroom, only to find my sister lying on the floor, squirming. She said, 'Sister, it hurts a lot.' I thought maybe she had caught a cold, and I didn’t realize what had really happened. In the dark, I didn’t even notice the marks on her neck.
"My younger sister told me, 'My father-in-law raped me.' My husband and mother-in-law both saw how my father-in-law had brutally tortured my little sister, but they didn't say a word," she added.
The older sister further recounted: “I said to my husband: ‘Your father did this to my sister. He had tried to do the same to me before. Should I call my parents and tell them?’ Hearing this, my husband became enraged, beat me up severely, and locked me in a room. The entire family threatened to kill me and my sister.
“The next morning, when the door was opened, I found my younger sister frothing at the mouth, with marks on her neck, struggling. Imploring my mother-in-law, I convinced her to take her to the hospital."
She added: "I’ve heard from others that my husband and his brother had been married before. Both their wives left them. Maybe one person could leave, but why did both leave? My father-in-law must have done something similar to them. Maybe one night, I would have faced the same fate as my sister. Everyone in the family knows about my father-in-law's behavior, but they all helped cover it up. They wanted to destroy my sister. They might have killed her if some people hadn’t come by."
At this point, the girl demanded justice, saying: "Even though my mother-in-law is a woman, she didn’t understand our suffering. She cooperated with them. I demand the highest punishment for all of them."
On Wednesday, an 8-year-old child was raped at her sister's house in Magura.
The child’s condition is critical, and she was transferred from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Dhaka Medical College Hospital to CMH Hospital.
In connection with the incident, Magura police have so far arrested Hitu Mia and his two sons.
END/MSS/AJ
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