The female journalist who was sexually assaulted and attacked on Wednesday evening has complained about being targeted in a social media smear campaign after police arrested three youths accused in a case filed over the incident.
The journalist, Rafia Tamanna, an editorial assistant at New Age, said that the smear campaign, accompanied by videos containing a false description of Wednesday’s events, was apparently intended to incite mob, particularly by getting her neighbours hostile towards her.
‘They are trying to portray the incident as a clash. But this is not true. I, my younger brother and a friend were victims of an attack for protesting at stalking,’ said Rafia.
The arrestees included the main accused, Soaib Rahman Zisan, 25, who is from Bagerhat and a resident of Banasree at Rampura.
Zisan was allegedly involved in similar incidents in the past.
The two other arrestees are identified as Md Raisul Idlam, 21, and Md Kawsar Hossain, 21, both hail from Barishal.
After the incident of harassment went viral, many Facebook users identified the three as known stalkers in the area.
‘My brother sustained injuries on his head as they pinned him down and started targeting on his head,’ Rafia said.
Rampura police station officer-in-charge Ataur Rahman said that the victim filed the case at about 1:00am on Thursday against Soaib Rahman Zisan and two other unidentified persons as the main attackers.
Besides, 10-12 unidentified persons were also accused in the case, he added.
The incident occurred between 7:30pm and 8:00pm on Wednesday in front of a juice shop on road no 3 of Banasree E Block in the capital’s Rampura, Ataur said.
According to the case statements, Rafia, her younger brother and a friend went to the juice shop, where an unidentified man kept staring at Rafia.
Rafia then asked the man if he knew her and wanted to say something. The man started shouting at them and the trio then came out of the shop.
Later, three youths, including Zisan, surrounded the victim and asked her what was wrong if someone stared at her.
They started beating the victim’s younger brother as he tried to resist them.
Her friend was also attacked as he was trying to record the incident on his mobile phone.
When Rafia tried to save her brother, the group attacked her, kicked and beat her.
One of them pulled her hair and sexually assaulted her, Rafia said in the case statements.
Rafia also alleged that Zisan and two other accused gave her rape threats during the incident.
The group later gathered more people, trying to create a mob, she added.
