Tension erupts in Chattogram as locals besiege accused over child rape allegation

Tensions ran high in Chattogram’s Bakalia area after locals staged protests over allegations that a four-and-a-half-year-old child was raped, leaving police effectively trapped inside a residential building while trying to secure the accused.

The incident unfolded Thursday afternoon (May 21) at a building named “Islamia Bhaban” in the Chairman Ghat area. Police said the accused, identified as Monir, was detained following the allegation, but hundreds of angry residents soon gathered outside the building and surrounded it.

Witnesses said some protesters attempted to vandalise the building, while a section of the crowd demanded that the accused be punished on the spot instead of being handed over to police.

Bakalia Police Station Sub-Inspector Kishore Majumder said officers were unable to leave the building due to the volatile situation, although the detained suspect remained in police custody and under protection.

According to locals, Monir worked as a decorator laborer in the area.

Additional police forces have since been deployed to bring the situation under control, while law enforcement authorities said an investigation into the allegation is ongoing.