Bagerhat, Aug 23 (V7N) — Villagers in West Khaulia, Morelganj, took to the streets after on Friday prayers to protest a complaint of attempted rape that they claim was maliciously filed against a day laborer’s family following a minor altercation.
 
The victim’s family and local residents formed a human chain, urging senior authorities to dismiss the case and take legal action against those responsible for orchestrating it. They say the issue was deliberately misrepresented.
 
According to the protesters—including farmer Anowar Akon, Zaynal Khan, Shafiqul Islam, Minar Begum, Jannat Begum, and Sekendar Shah—the incident began when a trivial disagreement escalated between the laborer, Ibrahim Sheikh, son of a destitute family, and others from the neighboring house—Sulaiman, son of the controversial figure Mosharraf Forazi, whom locals accuse of extortion in the name of arranging electricity meters and connections, elderly welfare cards, and water tanks.
 
On March 24, Mosharraf’s daughter, Rina Akter, filed a conspiracy-based attempted rape case against Ibrahim, who was reportedly incarcerated for 52 days before being granted bail. Despite local police conducting spot investigations and hearing clear testimonies from residents, they found no credible basis for the rape charge. Villagers question how such a serious allegation emerged from what was clearly a scuffle.
 
Ibrahim’s wife, Reshma Akter, spoke through tears: “I don’t want to drag this out—I need to buy medicine for my elderly mother-in-law. My husband is our only breadwinner, and we barely manage two meals a day. With a disabled daughter and five dependents at home, this false case has ruined us entirely. Mosharraf has manipulated the law using his daughter, and the police have taken sides. We demand that higher authorities reopen the investigation and ensure fair justice.”
 
Mosharraf Forazi refuted the accusations, stating, “The case against Ibrahim is justified. Those protesting are all his relatives. I have never taken any money from anyone.”
 
Locals remain deeply concerned about misuse of influence and demand accountability and justice for the unjustly accused, calling on senior officials to intervene and uphold the rule of law.
 
END/MPS/SMA/