Four arrested in B'desh as teenager raped, head shaved

A leader of Bangladesh's ruling party has been arrested along with three others for allegedly raping a teenager whose head was shaved as punishment by the accused's wife and sister, an incident that shocked the conservative Muslim nation.

Tufan Sarkar, 28, the convenor of Bogra district Sramik League -- the labour wing of the ruling Awami League -- raped the girl on July 17 and several times after that, promising her admission to a good college, B D News quoted Bogra Sadar Police Station in-charge Emdad Hossain said.

The others abetted the the crime, Hossain said, adding Tufan admitted to raping the girl in initial interrogation.

When Tufan's wife Asha and elder sister Marzia Hasan Rumki came to know about the incident, they along with some miscreants picked the girl and her mother from their house.

"They beat up the girl and her mother and later released them after shaving their heads," Hossain said, referring to the case files.

Asha, Rumki and the other miscreants are charged with abduction and assault of the girl and her mother.

Bogra district Sramik League has suspended Tufan over rape allegation.

"This is a heinous act and we are ashamed," said Rafiqul Islam, president of Bogra district Sramik League.

A three-member probe body led by Additional Deputy Magistrate Abdus Samad Pradhan has been formed to investigate the incident.