Bangladesh in turmoil after BNP leader 'rapes' Hindu woman: Protest, slogans, demand for 'direct action' - All you need to know

Bangladesh is currently boiling after an alleged rape of a Hindu woman by a local politician from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). As per the Bangladeshi newspaper, Dhaka Tribune, Fazor Ali allegedly raped a 21-year-old woman from the Hindu comminute, a minority in the country, in Muradnagar upazila, Comilla. A total of five men were involved in the rape, among which three have nabbed for recording and sharing a video of the rape survivor on social media. As per the report published in the Bangladeshi newspaper, the incident happened on June 26, 2025, when Fazor Ali, 38, from Ramchandrapur Pachkitta village, allegedly broke into the survivor's father’s house around 10 pm. Th rape survivor was staying at her father's place with her children as her husband was in Dubai.

The survivor filed a case against Ali the next day - on June 27, in the Muradnagar police station. The political leader was arrested around 5 am on Sunday in the Sayedabad area in Dhaka. He was later brought back to Comilla for legal proceedings. Four other men who were involved in the case were: Md Sumon, Ramzan Ali, Md Arif, and Md Anik have also been nabbed.

What did the police say?

As per the police, a neighbour of the survivor heard the loud noises at night and rushed to her house with other people, where he found that her door was broken. When they realised the woman had been assaulted, they beat Fazor Ali and sent him to a hospital. However, Fazor managed to escape later. “All five are in custody, and further legal steps are underway,” Superintendent Nazir Ahmed Khan told Dhaka Tribune.

What did BNP claim?

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has alleged that the case is an attempt to tarnish his party's image. “For 15 years, the Awami League has carried out a smear campaign against the Zia family, and now they are secretly spending money to continue that propaganda in order to damage the BNP’s reputation. A clear example of this is the recent incident in Muradnagar,” he said at a press briefing on June 29.

“It is so disgraceful that I feel ashamed even to utter it. Yet, they tried to shift the blame onto us. Similar incidents are being orchestrated in other places as well,” he added.

Bangladesh under protest, again

A pool of students of Dhaka University staged marches in the campus condemning the rape of the Hindu woman. This was after the Bangladesh High Court directed authorities to remove the video of the assault that went viral on social media.