Father Sentenced to Death for Raping Daughter

A court in Bogura has sentenced a 51-year-old man to death for raping his teenage daughter in Sherpur upazila. The court also ordered him to pay a fine of Tk 200,000.

The verdict was delivered at around 10.30am on Thursday, 20 August, by Maruf Hossain, judge of the Bogura Children and Women Repression Prevention Tribunal and district and sessions judge. The accused, Md Abdul Khalek, was present in court when the sentence was announced.

The prosecution confirmed the verdict, saying the court found Khalek guilty after a lengthy judicial process. He is a resident of Bagara Basti area in Sherpur upazila.

According to the case documents and statements presented by lawyers, the incident took place on 21 October 2020. The girl was living in a rented house with her father and stepmother. Her mother, who was Khalek’s second wife, later filed the case against him.

The prosecution said that at about 4.30am on the day of the incident, the girl’s stepmother left home, as she did regularly, to work at a local rice-processing facility. During her absence, Khalek allegedly raped his daughter and warned her not to disclose what had happened.

The girl’s behaviour reportedly changed after the incident. She stopped carrying out household chores, which angered her stepmother. The woman allegedly began beating her repeatedly. At one stage, the girl told her stepmother about the alleged rape, but her account was not believed. Instead, the teenager was subjected to further physical abuse.

Unable to endure the situation, the girl eventually disclosed the incident to two of her classmates. After learning about the allegation from them, local residents became aware of the matter and approached the police. A case was subsequently filed against Khalek on 31 October 2020.

The case then proceeded through the judicial system, with evidence and witness statements examined during the trial. After considering the material presented before the tribunal, the court found the accused guilty and imposed the death penalty along with the Tk 200,000 fine.

The verdict comes in a case involving allegations of sexual violence against a child within the family, where the victim was allegedly subjected not only to sexual abuse but also to threats and subsequent physical mistreatment. Such cases can be particularly difficult for victims to report because of fear, dependence on family members and pressure to remain silent.

The court’s decision therefore brings the prolonged legal proceedings to a significant stage, although a death sentence under Bangladeshi law remains subject to the applicable legal procedures before it can be carried out.