Amid a rise in violence against women in the country, a female garment worker has been killed and a speech-impaired girl raped in Savar and Bogra.In another incident, a father was allegedly killed for protesting against stalking of his school-going girl in Manikganj.As many as 294 women and children were admitted to eight one stop crisis centres (OCC) across the country between July and September, indicating a rise of above 10 percent compared to the period from April to June, said Abul Hossain, project director of the OCC.The garment worker, identified as Kalpona Begum, 24, was attacked around 1:30pm on Wednesday by a “mentally-challenged” man named Shirajul who had been stalking her for a while, said SM Kamruzzaman, officer-in-charge of Savar Model Police Station.He stabbed her with a knife at Hemayetpur Natunpara of Savar when she was going for her evening duty at Apparel Four Ltd, the OC quoted witnesses as saying. Local people caught Shirajul, beat him up and handed him over to police.Kalpona, married to Abdur Razzak, were rushed to Enam Medical College Hospital with severe injuries around 2:00pm that day. But struggling with excessive bleeding, she died yesterday morning, the hospital authority said.In another incident, a speech-impaired girl was allegedly raped by a local youth at Nittipota village under Dhunat upazila of Bogra on Tuesday.The victim’s mother Sultana Razia lodged a rape case yesterday against Rezaul Karim, 36, a day labourer, of the same village.According to the case statement, Sultana went to a neighbour’s house and by the time she returned her 17- year- old daughter had been raped. The alleged rapist fled the scene.The girl was sent to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College and Hospital yesterday noon for a medical report concerning the matter, said Farul Islam, inspector (inquiry) of Dhunat Police Station.Police have been conducting drives to arrest the accused in the case, he said.Meanwhile, alleged stalkers killed father of a schoolgirl in Manikganj for protest against stalking of his daughter on Wednesday night.The victim, Billal Hossain, 40, of Kakkol village in Shivalaya upazila of Manikganj, did not return home from his tailoring shop that night, his wife said. Locals yesterday found his body floating on the water under the Machain bridge. Billal’s wife said college student Sumon, son of Eklas Madbar of the village, and his associates, had been stalking her daughter, a student of class-X at Rupsha Wahed Ali High school. Sumon proposed to the girl several times but she rejected.As Billal protested the stalking, Sumon along with some of his associates killed him and dumped the body into the canal, his wife alleged.On information, police rushed to the spot and recovered the body, said Nazrul Islam, Officer-in-charge of Harirampur police.Meanwhile, a case was filed in Sonaimuri upazila of Noakhali accusing five stalkers who threatened to kill teachers for protesting sexual harassment of students.Joyag College Principle Ayub Ali filed the case with Sonaimuri police on Wednesday night against five. Of them, four were identified as Emdadul Huq Sukorno, 19, Shakil, 20, Tushar, 18, and Faruk, 22. The other accused was unnamed.As girls were doing physical exercises on Wednesday, Sukorno and Shakil were capturing photos with their mobile phones, witnesses said. The principal noticed it and warned them not to do so.Later around 12:00noon, Sukorno, Shakil and some of their associates entered the principal’s office and threatened to kill him. As two other teachers rushed in, they were also threatened with death.Ayub Ali said, “We are feeling insecure after filing the case. They [stalkers] are asking us to withdraw the case, otherwise the situation will deteriorate.”
