Content creator Ripon Mia accused of raping schoolgirl; local arbitration at BNP office fines Tk5 lakh
Videos of Ripon seeking forgiveness went viral on social media.
An alleged rape of a 14-year-old schoolgirl in Netrokona was reportedly settled through a local arbitration (salish) at a BNP office, where the accused content creator Ripon Mia was fined Tk5 lakh and told to leave the area.
The arbitration took place last night (3 August) at a local BNP office, led by former union BNP president Fazlur Rahman, alongside local leaders of the party and Jamaat-e-Islami, reports Prothom Alo.
Videos of the arbitration surfaced on social media today (4 August), triggering widespread public outrage. In a 30-second clip, Ripon is seen admitting to the offence, seeking forgiveness, and holding Fazlur's feet.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Fazlur told Prothom Alo that the victim's family was poor and lacked the financial capability to run a court case, leading locals to arrange the arbitration. "We later advised the family to take legal action, and police officers are currently speaking with them."
When contacted, Netrokona Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abul Khair said police visited the scene after discovering the viral videos.
"The girl and her family have been sent to the police station to file a case, while two participants of the arbitration are being questioned. Efforts are underway to detain Ripon, the OC added.
According to the victim's family, Ripon entered their house at around 8pm on 1 August while the girl was cooking in the yard. Taking advantage of her parents' absence, he forcibly took her to a nearby bush and raped her. When the girl screamed, neighbours rushed to the spot, causing Ripon to flee.
The family alleged that Ripon had previously stalked the girl under the pretext of making videos.
Citizens and rights activists condemned the illegal settlement of a serious criminal offence like rape through a village court, noting that attempting to judge such a crime at a political office is an unlawful act.
Ripon, who gained popularity on Facebook through short video clips and currently holds 1.9 million followers on his page, has now gone into hiding following the incident.
Attempts to contact Ripon were unsuccessful as his phone was found switched off.
