Bangladesh Police have detained five men, including a local Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader, for allegedly raping a 25-year-old Hindu woman in Comilla's Muradnagar upazila and posting a nude video of the victim on social media, triggering widespread protests, furore, and new fears for the security of religious minorities across the country. The gruesome incident occurred on June 26 at Ramchandrapur Panchkitta village under Muradnagar upazila, said a statement of Muradnagar Police Station.

Forcibly Entered, Assaulted, And Filmed

The key accused, Fajr Ali (36), son of Shahid Mia and local BNP leader, is said to have entered the woman's house by breaking the door when she was home alone, raped the woman and attempted to escape after local people caught and beat him up. Injured though he was, Fajr Ali escaped from a hospital where he had been brought after the attack. Police subsequently arrested him from the Syedabad area of Dhaka in a predawn raid on Sunday. According to the local media reports superintendent of police, Nazir Ahmed Khan, confirmed that four other men, Md. Sumon, Ramadan Ali, Md. Arif and Md. Anik was also arrested for recording and sharing the lewd video featuring the victim nude and begging for her dignity. The victim, who is an expatriate wife, is a member of the Hindu minority group and had visited her father's residence five days prior to the crime.

Locals Share Chilling Ordeal

Neighbours said to local media that they were worshipping next door on Thursday evening when the offence took place. A village local reported that there was a loud noise from the victim's home that evening. In fear, neighbours rushed to the area and found the door smashed and the woman shocked. Locals rescued the victim and attacked Fajr Ali before he ran away. Muradnagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Zahidur Rahman informed BBC Bangla that a case has been lodged under relevant sections, including the Cyber Security Act, for assaulting and circulating the video.

Video Went Viral, Prompting Nationwide Outrage

The horrifying video was extensively shared on Facebook and other social media websites, raising an uproar and triggering a series of protests and demonstrations throughout Bangladesh. The High Court directed that all such videos must be removed from social media and instructed authorities to offer security and medical treatment to the survivor. Shafiqul Alam, Adviser to the Comilla District Police Chief, posted on his verified Facebook page that raids were made to facilitate the quick arrest of all the accused. Local villagers and neighbors played a crucial role in first arresting the chief suspect before the police located him in Dhaka.

Protest Erupted Over The Nation

Widespread protests organized by students and minority groups have broken out throughout Bangladesh, with large gatherings at Dhaka University. Students from Jagannath Hall and the Democratic Student Alliance staged rallies and processions, demanding strict punishment for the accused and stronger protection for minority women. A protest rally organized by the Democratic Student Alliance started at Dhaka University's TSC and ended at the base of the historic Raju sculpture. Central Student Front President Salman Siddiqui criticized the past Awami League government as well as the interim government for being unable to safeguard women. He brought up some of the open rape cases such as Tanu and Khadija's and demanded exemplary punishment at once so that no one would dare commit such acts again.

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Amal Tripura, the central president of Student Council, said to P that the Muradnagar rape is part of an alarming trend of sexual violence against minorities. He mentioned earlier attacks in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and elsewhere in Bangladesh in which indigenous and minority women have been repeatedly attacked. Marzia Prabha of the Democratic Rights Committee further noted that women's security is always a litmus test for any government, requiring structural changes and accountability.

Adding to the mounting pressure, different traditional organisations in Narayanganj district marched in human chains at the Narayanganj Press Club and organised protest rallies against both the Muradnagar rape and recent vandalism of a Durga temple in Khilkhet. Minority rights groups and civil society associations have made renewed demands for greater legal protection and imposition of stricter laws for protecting Bangladesh's almost 8 per cent Hindu population from mounting communal attacks and forced evictions.

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Political Response and India's Concern

It has also been demanded by the party secretary of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, that strict action be taken and a fair trial be conducted against the accused. India has asked the Bangladeshi government to provide security to minority communities and their religious rights. While legal actions against Fajr Ali and his four accomplices go on, demonstrations are likely to grow in scale as student bodies, minority communities, and rights activists demand justice for the survivor and the government's accountability.