Female ansar member sues 3 fellow officials over alleged sexual assault

A female Ansar member has sued three of her senior colleagues bringing allegations of sexual harassment and job dismissal against them.

The 27-year-old, posted in Habiganj, filed the case with the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 on Tuesday, naming three persons -- Khaled Ahmed, Habiganj Sadar upazila officer of Ansar-VDF; Aklima Akhtar, Ansar-VDP Habiganj Sadar Upazila women's trainer; and Ansar party leader Ilias Ali.

According to the case statement, Khaled had withheld a Tk 1,80,000 honorarium bill of the victim and 17 others issued for their duties in Rajnagar area of Habiganj town during the sixth upazila election.

On September 12, Khaled invited her to "go for a walk" when she went to ask for payment, to which she refused.

A few hours later, she was asked to visit him at his office to collect the bill. When the victim went to the office, she found Ilias and several others there.

Khaled ordered them to leave but wait outside while the victim was forced to stay indoors. Khaled then assaulted her, the case statement said.

As she tried to escape, Ilias, waiting at the entrance, blocked her and beat her mercilessly, the statement added.

She was rescued by district commander Arup Ratan Paul who sent her to hospital.

Following the incident, a video of the incident was released on social media (Facebook) which led to the victim's marital engagement being called off. The victim then filed a complaint with a local army camp.