Insensitivity taints good gesture

With the five-year-old Dinajpur rape victim writhing in pain at a city hospital, some people's insensitivity to the issue and their callousness in revealing the identity of the victim and her family members have drawn flak from many.

While the girl, brutally tortured and raped nine days ago, is under treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, a freelance photojournalist posted on his Facebook page a photograph of Dinajpur Deputy Commissioner giving financial help to the victim's grandfather.

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Several local newspapers and online portals carried the photograph, mentioning the names of the victim and her family members.

This irked many people, who expressed displeasure on social media network and other platforms.

Meanwhile, Saiful Islam, 42, one of the two alleged rapists, was placed on a seven-day police remand, while law enforcers are still looking for the other alleged rapist.

Talking to The Daily Star, Marufa Begum, secretary of Dinajpur unit of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, said the girl and her family members are now socially humiliated by the publication of the photograph on Thursday.

She criticised the Dinajpur newspapers for publishing the photograph, which showed DC Mir Khairul Alam handing over a cheque of Tk 10,000 to the grandfather of the rape victim.

Chitta Ghosh, president of Dinajpur Press Club and editor of Ajker Deshbarta, one of the local dailies that carried the photograph, regretted publishing it.

Freelance photojournalist Yousuf Ali, who took the snap and gave it to the media outlets, said he took the photograph on instructions from the DC office.

Yousuf also posted the photograph on his Facebook page, mentioning the names of the victim and her grandfather.

Asked, DC Khairul avoided a direct reply on whether it was proper to reveal the identity of the victim's family members.

Meanwhile, a Dinajpur court yesterday granted a seven-day remand of Saiful Islam, one of the two persons, who allegedly tortured and raped the girl after picking her up from near her home in Parbatipur upazila on October 18.

A large number of women demonstrated on the court compound, demanding death penalty for the culprits.  

On October 24, police arrested Saiful, who is from Parbatipur's Jamirhat village, in Dinajpur town.

Mahmudul Alam, officer-in-charge of Parbatipur Police Station, said they were trying to arrest the other accused, Md Afzal Hossain.

VICTIM NOW STABLE

DMCH Director Brig Gen Md Mizanur Rahman said the condition of the girl was stable.

“She is now out of danger,” Mizanur told reporters.

He said the doctors would decide about operating on her after a month or two when she recovers from infections.

The medical board formed for her treatment would review her condition a week later, said Mizanur.

Visiting the girl at the DMCH, Mahbubul Hoque Shakil, special assistant to the Prime Minister, said the government is working sincerely to ensure justice for the victim.

The DMCH authorities are providing necessary treatment to the girl upon the PM's directive, he added.