Doctors found ‘no signs of rape’ following the examination of a Marma schoolgirl, who was allegedly raped in Khagrachari, according to a report of the government medical board.
All the ten indicators examined during the test were normal, indicating no evidence of assault, stated the report submitted to Khagrachari civil surgeon Saber Ahmed around 8:30pm on Tuesday.
Following the rape incident, national minority people under the banner Jumma Chhatra Janata had been staging protests and blockades that escalated into clashes, forcing the authorities to impose Section 144 on September 27.
The situation worsened on September 28 when violence occurred at places that left three Marma residents killed and dozens, including the army and police officials, injured at Ramsu Bazar in Guimara.Â
Civil surgeon Saber Ahmed told the media that the report of the medical board, formed after rape allegations had been made, found no evidence of rape.
‘Nevertheless, this is a matter for the court. The court will determine the truth,’ he said.
The examination was conducted by a three-member medical team comprising obstetrics and gynecology specialist Joya Chakma, and medical officers Mosharraf Hossain and Nahida Akhtar of Khagrachari Modern Sadar Hospital.
None of the board members provided any details of the report.
When asked about the report, a spokesperson of the Jumma Chhatra Janata Kripayon Tripura said, ‘This is a fabricated report planned by the government, which is quite evident. We demand a fair and proper investigation into the rape allegations.’
Expressing concern, he said, ‘Also, some people are circulating the victim’s photos on social media, which itself is a crime. We demand proper justice.’
He also said that representatives of the platform had a meeting with the administration on Wednesday, where they raised their concern alleging that the medical report was fabricated.
‘The administration assured us that we can appeal for another examination,’ he added.
Khagrachari Sadar police officer-in-charge Abdul Baten Mridha told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· that the police received the report on Wednesday and sent it to the court.
Normalcy seemed to be gradually returning in Khagrachari on Wednesday as the Jumma Chhatra Janata (hill ethnic students and people) on Tuesday announced the suspension of their road blockade in the hill district until October 5, ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· correspondent in Khagrachari reported.
However, Section 144 issued by the district administration remained in force in Khagrachari sadar upazila, in which the municipality fell, along with Guimara upazila with army, Border Guard Bangladesh and police patrol going on as of Wednesday evening.
Protests erupted on September 24 when Jumma Chhatra Janata called for the punishment of those involved in the rape of the Marma schoolgirl while she was returning from private tuition in the Singinala area of Khagrachari Sadar on September 23.
Her father filed a case against three unidentified people and the police have so far arrested a suspect, Shayan Shil.
Khagrachari sadar officer-in-charge Abdul Baten said that Shayan was produced before court on Wednesday after six-day remand.
He, however, did not to provide any further details of any findings during the remand.
Shayan was sent to jail on Wednesday, a court official in Khagrachari confirmed.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council in a statement on Wednesday condemned the violence in Khagrachari, demanding justice for the rape and violence occurred on September 28.
They also demanded Tk 1 crore compensation for each of the families of the three Marma men killed during the violence.
