Government under fire over whipping of girl

Dhaka: As Bangladesh witnesses massive protests, the High Court demanded that government explain its failure to protect a teenage girl who died after being whipped in accordance with a fatwa (edict) issued in Shariatpur three days ago.

Court officials and reports said a two-member High Court bench asked the district police chief and two other administrative officials to explain, in 15 days, why they "failed" to protect the 14-year-old girl.

The bench, comprising AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Shaikh Zakir Hussain, also asked the officials what action had been taken against the culprits who ordered that the teenager, Hena, receive 100 lashes after the delivery of a so-called ‘verdict' on charges of adultery.

Another High Court bench, comprised of judges Syed Mahmoud Hussain and Nazrul Islam Talukder, on Wednesday asked law enforcement agencies to submit a report within three weeks explaining what steps government had taken to comply with its earlier court order calling for an end to "extra judicial killings" executed in the name of religious edicts.

The bench also ordered the information ministry to run a media campaign against extra-judicial punishments saying: "If the [November 2010] verdict had been implemented, the girl could have not been whipped to death on Tuesday."

Rape victim

Media reports suggested that Hena was a rape victim. However, influential village leaders and clerics, instead of taking action against the rapist, ordered the teenager to receive 100 lashes.

After 70 lashes, Hena fell unconscious and later succumbed to her wounds at a local facility while the incident sparked wide outrage.

This prompted police to arrest three of the alleged culprits and launch a manhunt for the other suspects, the reports said.

This was the second reported incident of such extrajudicial killings since October 8, 2010, when the High Court delivered a verdict following the whipping of a 45-year-old woman and a man. The two were whipped for alleged committing adultery, in execution of a fatwa imposed at Tanore in Rajshahi.