No medical evidence of rape found in Khagrachhari incident

Bangla Press Desk: No evidence of rape was found in the medical examination of a Marma schoolgirl, whose alleged sexual abuse led to deadly demonstrations in Khagrachhari this week, doctors have said.

All the 10 indicators of rape were found to be normal, said Senior Consultant Dr Joy Chakma, chief of the three-member medical examination team at Khagrachhari Sadar Hospital.

Dr Mir Mosharraf Hossain and Dr Nahida Akter are the other two members of the team, co-signatories of the final report.

Khagrachhari Civil Surgeon Saber Ahmed told reporters that the medical report has been forwarded to the district police superintendent’s office for pursuing investigation in the concerned rape lawsuit.

On 23 September, an eight-grader and twelve-year old Marma girl was rendered unconscious on her way back from a private tuition course at Singinala area of Khagrachhari Sadar Upazila. It was alleged that she was raped.

On the same day, her father filed a rape lawsuit with the Sadar Police Station against three unnamed individuals. The following day, a Hindu youth named Shoyon Shil, 19, was arrested on information from some local ethnic minority groups. Shoyon Shil is now being quizzed by police under a remand order.

Regional army officials have blamed UPDF, a prominent ethnic minority group, of trying to disrupt communal harmony under the pretext of the alleged rape incident – as part of a broader destabilizing conspiracy.

BP/SP