Chhatra Dal leader held over rape of 18-yr-old

UPDATED 3 August 2026

Police arrested a local Chhatra Dal leader in Jashore’s Chougachha upazila on Saturday night on charges of raping an 18-year-old college student.

The accused, Arafat Hossain Rabbi, 22, is the senior joint secretary of the Chougachha Government College unit of Chhatra Dal, said Mamunur Rashid, officer-in-charge of Chougachha Police Station.

He was arrested around 11:00pm on Saturday after the victim’s family filed a written complaint with the police station.

A rape case was lodged based on the victim’s complaint, the OC said.

According to the first information report (FIR), the victim, who is Rabbi’s neighbour, sought his help in obtaining her National Identity (NID) card. The complaint alleged that, despite Saturday being a government holiday, Rabbi took her to Chougachha town around 10:30am on the pretext of helping her with the process.

He then took her to a house and raped her, the complaint said.

The victim reportedly fell ill after the incident. After recovering somewhat, she returned home and informed her family. Later that night, she went to the police station with her mother and filed the complaint.

After the complaint was filed, a police team led by Sub-Inspector Abdus Sattar raided Rabbi’s house and arrested him.

The accused was sent to jail after being produced before the court yesterday, the OC said.

Talking to The Daily Star, Emon Hasan Rocky, member secretary of Chhatra Dal’s Chougachha upazila unit, confirmed Rabbi’s organisational position but claimed that the allegation might be part of a conspiracy. He added that they wanted the victim’s medical examination report to establish the facts.