Earlier that afternoon, the arbitration, led by Kotalipara upazila Vice-Chairman Motiar Rahman Hajra and Vice-Chairwoman Laxmi Rani Sarker, had “settled the matter” in the presence of influential residents of the village. The arbitrators had fined Anik Baidya, the prime accused and first to be arrested in the case, and Dipankar Baidya, 25, Tk75,000 each. But the upazila vice-chairman denied having the money. Kotalipara police station Sub-Inspector Shahadat Hossain said the case over the gang rape was lodged around 11:30pm on Saturday. “Even though I objected, the upazila vice-chairman on Saturday afternoon had fined the rapists a total of Tk3lakh.

Source: Dhaka Tribune August 27, 2017 18:34 UTC