A 44-year-old widowed Hindu woman in Jhenaidah is struggling to recover after she was raped, publicly humiliated, and tortured by a group of local men who tied her to a tree, cut her hair, and circulated a video of the abuse on social media.
The incident, which took place on the evening of December 31, has sparked widespread debate and condemnation after the video began circulating online. The victim filed a rape case at Kaliganj Police Station on the afternoon of January 5, naming four accused. Police have arrested one of them and sent him to jail, while efforts continue to apprehend the remaining suspects.
According to police, the arrested man is Hasan, 45, a resident of Kaliganj Municipality. The victim lived in her own home in the area with her 10-year-old son. She was rescued in an injured condition and admitted to hospital before later returning home after treatment.
While the woman has accused the men of rape and brutal assault, sections of the local community have put forward a different narrative. Some residents alleged that the woman had long been involved in what they describe as “immoral activities” and claim that neighbors and locals carried out the abuse after catching her “red-handed.”
The incident has raised urgent legal and ethical questions: whether neighbors or local residents have the right to punish someone regardless of allegations, and whether the law permits publishing videos that further endanger and humiliate a victim.
Women’s rights activists argued that no one had the authority to define “immoral activities” or to take the law into their own hands. They stress that what occurred constitutes a criminal offense and must be tried under the law.
Lawyers echoed this view, saying that even if allegations against the woman were true, mob justice is never permissible. They point out that under Penal Code Section 497, cases involving relationships with a married woman can only be filed by the husband against the man involved. Forming a mob and carrying out punishment in the name of religion, they say, is supported by neither the law nor religious principles.
Although the assault occurred on December 31, the video began spreading on social media a day later. After Indian media outlets reported it as an incident of abuse against a Hindu woman, it spread rapidly online.
As the footage circulated, public discussion shifted away from the rape and violence and instead focused on the woman’s character and lifestyle. Despite the absence of a medical report at the time, some people publicly claimed the rape allegation was false.
On the morning of January 6, a human chain was organized in the city bus stand area demanding an end to the woman’s alleged “immoral activities.” Police intervened, seized the banners, and dispersed the gathering. Officers later said the demonstration was not allowed as it could disrupt the election environment.
Speaking to reporters, the woman said she had bought a house and land two years ago from the brother of a local man named Shahinur Rahman Shahin and had been living there with her child.
She said that on the evening of December 31, two male relatives visited her home. At that time, accused Shahin and Hasan entered the house under the pretext of seeing the visitors. The two relatives were locked in one room, while the woman was taken to another room and raped, she alleged.
She said afterward, she and the two relatives were taken outside, tied to a tree on accusations of “misdeeds,” and video footage was recorded. During this time, Shahin and Hasan allegedly cut her hair and beat her before recording the incident on mobile phones and sharing it on social media.
“Even after returning home from the hospital, I am still very ill. I cannot speak properly,” the woman said. “I have filed a case. Police have arrested Hasan, but Shahin has not yet been arrested.”
According to doctors and admission register records at Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital, the woman was first admitted on January 1 but left the hospital the same day without informing anyone. She was admitted again to the gynecology department at around 12:30pm on January 6, accompanied by several police officers from Kaliganj Police Station.
After providing rape samples and undergoing a physical examination, she left the hospital with the police.
Dr Md Mostafizur Rahman, superintendent of Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital, said the woman had been admitted after being raped and tortured. He said the medical report has not yet been completed and will be sent to the police once finalized.
Kaliganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Jellal Hossain said the case was formally recorded after the woman submitted her complaint on January 5. “Police have already arrested one accused, and drives are ongoing to arrest the remaining suspects, including the main accused.”
Women’s rights activist Jinat Ara Haque said the public treatment of the victim has no legal basis.
“You cannot humiliate someone simply because you want to,” she said. “Who will compensate for the humiliation inflicted on her? She has filed a rape case. Whether the rape occurred or not will be decided by the court. Do local residents have the right to give media statements or organize demonstrations over this?”
Khushi Kabir, coordinator of the rights organization Nijera Kori, questioned who decides what constitutes “immoral” behavior.
“Our society includes many types of people,” she said. “Those who body-shame women or harass women for not wearing a scarf or for wearing a bindi are also engaging in immoral acts. So I do not understand this idea of ‘immoral activity.’”
She added that the Jhenaidah incident was a clear violation of the law. “If you object to someone’s behavior, you must seek legal recourse. After cutting her hair, beating her, recording the video, and spreading it on social media, her reputation was destroyed. Who will take responsibility for that?”
Manzil Morshed, president of Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh and a Supreme Court lawyer, warned that allowing such acts to go unpunished could have grave consequences.
“There was a time when such abuses occurred, but society and the legal system have changed,” he said. “If allegations exist, action can be taken under criminal law. Now people are being caught and beaten at will. Law enforcement is not functioning properly. Legal action must be taken against those who have taken justice into their own hands, or this will spread like a social disease.”
