Rape Case of Indigenous Female Student in Khagrachari: What Actually Happened There after the Incident?

IPNEWS SPECIAL REPORT: On October 01, at Khagrachari Technical School and College, a teacher named Sohel Rana was accused of raping a 7th grade Indigenous female student and after beatings from enraged locals, the death of the accused teacher stirred up chaos among the settler Bengalis that later manifested in communal attacks, arson, and vandalisation on the local indigenous peoples’ houses, businesses injuring some severely.

According to multiple eyewitnesses, the victim went to meet with the accused teacher along with some of her Bengali classmates, who were also females, at the teacher’s dormitory. After meeting up with the teacher, except for the victim, the rest of the students went out and kept waiting for their friend. More than half an hour passed, but the victim student did not return, raising suspicion among the students and at one point when the students broke into the teacher’s quarter, they found only the veil of the victim; the teacher and the victim were not there at that time. When the news spread, local residents and local indigenous students surrounded the principal’s office and found the accused rapist Sohel Rana hiding in the bathroom of the school. The victim was rescued from a room afterwards, with the help of the administration and there she confessed to her classmates about the allegations of rape.

Eyewitnesses and multiple sources confirmed that agitated students thrashed the accused teacher there at around 1:30 am. The rapist was handed over to the police administration after mob beating. However, when another group of agitated youths started beating him in front of the police, the police were seen to be playing no role in restraining them. It is reported that the accused rapist was taken to the hospital after getting hit by an autorickshaw on the neighboring road while trying to escape. When the police took the accused teacher to the hospital, the doctor in charge declared him dead.

A resident of Narankhaiya in Khagrachari Sadar, told IPNEWS that around 2:00 am to 2:30 am, some settler Bengalis came to attack indigenous students of the school with knives, krises and batons. As the law enforcement agencies remained indifferent to controlling the situation, the local IPs came forward to prevent the attacks which led to a condition conflict between the two parties. It was found that the settler Bengalis gathered in Chengi Square area and were actively provoking people by chanting communal slogans following which the settler Bengalis attacked people in Mahajanpara, vandalized the sculpture of Manvendra Narayan Larma, attacked, looted, and then set fire to the indigenous-owned houses, businesses. They also ransacked the well known ‘Soumya Fashion House’ and the ‘Bamboo Shoot Restaurant’ possesed by the local Indigenous peoples.

Meanwhile, the administration issued Section 144 to control the situation at Khagrachari Sadar approximately around 3:00 p.m. But even after the issuance of Section 144, the settlers tried to attack the IPs in Jamtala, Pankhaia Para, New Zealand, Milonpur, Collegegate, Sluich Gate areas of Khagrachari Sadar. Against this, local indigenous peoples came forward to resist the settlers and chased them away, making them take a position in Panbazar at one point. Nonetheless, eyewitnesses said that the settler Bengalis vandalized the Khagrachari Specialized Treatment Center Hospital on Pankhaipara road.

Disregarding administrative law, the settlers regrouped and attacked the IPs from the road behind the Yongdw Buddhist Temple and from the mosque side of the mini supermarket. They raided Rakhine and Marma business establishments on the Khagrachari-Madhupur road, looted and set fire to several Buddha statues. Afterwards, when the indigenous peoples started resisting to protect their businesses and the Buddha statue, the law enforcement forces took position at approximately 7:30 pm.

Several witnesses have complained about the biased attitude of the law enforcing forces that had been observed during the entire day’s events. Prior to the aforementioned incidents, the law enforcement agencies apparently did not take any visible steps to prevent communal attacks, but when the indigenous peoples started resisting to protect their institutions and villages, they were deterred, but the administration did not take any similar measures to deter the attacks by settler Bengalis.

Meanwhile, the victim student confirmed the truth of the rape incident at the beginning of the incident. An anonymous Indigenous Women leader of Khagrachari, said that the victim student first disclosed the rape incident to her female classmates, but later, under various pressures, considering the future of her family, fearing of injustice, she changed her statement. In this context, she said, although the victim has been taken to the hospital for medical examination, “I doubt whether an impartial and genuine medical report will be provided because we have a history of many such cases where the victim himself has confessed and there were clear evidences, yet under the pressure of some invisible force, the medical examination often gives false reports.”

Nevertheless, it is informed from unknown sources that there are signs of rape in the victim’s medical report. However, Dr. Ripple Bappi Chakma, the medical officer in charge of Khagrachari Modern District Hospital, did not respond to any phone calls to confirm this matter. Regarding this, a responsible leader of the local Tripura Students’ Forum told IPNEWS that, “the medical report is positive and the police in charge of the police station informed us about this matter. A case has also been filed and they said the medical report has been submitted to the court as well.”

In addition to all these, Ujjal Marma, worker of the South Khabangparia Adarsh Buddhist Vihar, got critically injured during the attack by settler Bengalis and a student named Saurav Chakma (20) was hit in the right eye with a slingshot. Besides, there are allegations that many more Jummas were injured.

It is to be noted that, the alleged assailant Sohell Rana has several criminal records and has previously been accused of sexual harassment and rape. He was transferred from Kushtia to Khagrachari as penalty for assaulting women. Last February 25, 2021, when he attempted to rape a female student, legal action was taken against him in the face of strong protests by Indigenous-Bengali students. Again when the same institution, Khagrachari Technical School and College, re-employed him upon bail, the ordinary students once again gave a memorandum to the District Commissioner in protest. Despite all that, he was rehired.