Dhaka, June 30: In yet another disturbing incident of violence on minorities and the atrocities against women in Bangladesh, a Hindu woman was brutally gang raped in her own home in the Cumilla district, while her attackers filmed the assault and circulated the footage, a human rights body said on Monday.

So far, five accused have been arrested, including the main accused, Fajar Ali, who is a politician of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

The Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM) said that the culprits circulated the video of the brutal assault “like a war trophy.”

“On the night of June 26, 2025, a Hindu woman in Muradnagar, Cumilla District, endured one of the most brutal forms of violence imaginable: her home was forcibly invaded, her dignity shattered, and her trauma recorded and circulated like a war trophy. She was gang raped by multiple assailants, her cries echoing through the silence of a country that has, for decades, looked away from the suffering of its most vulnerable,” read a statement issued by the HRCBM.

The human rights organisation also mentioned that the law enforcement officials failed to arrange a mandatory medical examination, delayed filing her First Information Report (FIR) until June 29, and later deflected blame by claiming it was “up to her” to pursue medical treatment.

The HRCBM mentioned that the critical delays in filing the FIR, failure to conduct a medical examination within the first 24 hours, and a dismissive attitude toward the survivor’s rights point to “systemic negligence,” adding that suggesting the survivor should arrange her own medical exam represented a “gross violation of procedural and ethical standards.”

The human rights body also said that despite public pressure and “media manipulation by Islamist groups portraying the crime as consensual,” one primary perpetrator and several accomplices involved in the distribution of the assault video were eventually arrested. However, several others remain at large.

The HRCBM asserted that in video statements received by the organisation from members of the local Muslim community, some of them were attempting to “downplay” the incident and “protect” the primary accused, Fajar Ali, and his gang — despite the “brutal nature of the assault.”

Such actions by community actors, it further stated, “obstruct justice and enable the normalisation of gender-based violence against minorities.”

“This incident is not isolated. It is a horrific example of an entrenched pattern in Bangladesh where minority women are routinely targeted, raped, abducted, forcibly converted, and shamed into silence,” it said.

According to the HRCBM, since April 2025 alone, 13 gang rape cases have been recorded in Cumilla District involving Hindu women. Additionally, across the country, reports of headless bodies, mass abductions, and forced conversions of young minority girls are rising at an alarming pace.

“Families now contact HRCBM regularly, pleading to rescue their daughters,” said the human rights organisation.

The HRCBM also criticised the mainstream Bangladeshi media for its largely silent response. They noted that the Muradnagar case, similar to many others, would likely have been “buried under layers of political denial and communal pressure” if it weren’t for the viral circulation of the assault video, which compelled public and institutional attention.

The HRCBM is preparing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) demanding a judicial inquiry into the condition of minority women and girls in Bangladesh.

At the same time, it called upon the international community — UN agencies, human rights defenders, and global civil society — to support its efforts, pressure the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, and push for accountability mechanisms.

Condemning the horrific incident, Bangladesh Students League President Saddam Hussain said that in a country that increasingly resembles a “fascist Islamist regime,” the cries of women and Hindu minorities in Bangladesh continue to go unheard.

He stressed that each passing day brings another chilling tale of “temples desecrated, families displaced, and daughters brutalised.”

“The latest horror comes from Cumilla, where a young Hindu mother of two was raped at knifepoint by Fazar Ali and others. He is reported to be an active member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), a party which has a long and controversial history regarding its treatment of religious minorities,” he said in a post on X.

“Her ordeal didn’t end there; they filmed the assault and continued to beat her mercilessly. The video, too disturbing to share, stands as a grim testament to the escalating violence and persecution faced by Hindu women and minorities in Bangladesh,” he said in a post on X.

“Her only crime: being a Hindu woman in a land where religious identity has become a target. As the nation turns a blind eye and justice remains elusive, the question lingers: How long will the Hindu community and women in Bangladesh be forced to live in fear? How much more must they endure before the world pays attention?” the post added.

Jerusalem, June 30: An Israeli soldier was killed in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said.

In a statement, the military said Sergeant Yisrael Natan Rosenfeld, 20, of the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion of the 401st Brigade, “fell during combat,” Xinhua news agency reported.

Israel’s state-owned Kan TV reported that Rosenfeld was killed by an explosive device in Jabalia, in an area where the military had begun demolishing buildings in preparation for constructing outposts as part of a planned buffer zone in northern Gaza.

Since the beginning of June, 21 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the Gaza Strip, bringing the military’s death toll to 880 since October 2023, according to official figures.

Earlier on Sunday, Palestinian sources reported heavy bombardments in northern Gaza, with at least 88 people killed and 365 wounded in Israeli attacks, according to Gaza health authorities.

The strikes came as the Israeli military issued new evacuation warnings, calling on residents of Gaza City and Jabalia to move immediately toward the al-Mawasi area.

Meanwhile, Gaza health authorities said on Sunday that the Palestinian death toll from Israeli military operations since October 2023 had risen to at least 56,500.

Srinagar: With only three days left for the start of the Amarnath Yatra, the final phase of security preparations has been completed. Thousands of security personnel have been deployed and in the last few days, mock drills have been conducted at several places to identify the loopholes in the arrangements. According to officials, this time the security arrangements are more comprehensive, technical and coordinated than ever before. More than 10 Superintendents of Police (SP), 15 Deputy Superintendents (DySP) and hundreds of paramilitary forces and policemen have been deployed on the Yatra route to ensure smooth and safe pilgrimage.

Anti-terrorism drive intensifies

The Jammu and Kashmir Police, Army and CRPF have jointly launched aggressive counter-terrorism operations in Anantnag district. According to senior officers, more than 20 search operations are being conducted daily along the Yatra route and the surrounding forests. A senior officer said, “We cannot take any risk. Human and technical surveillance is going on along every inch of the route. All potential threats have already been neutralised.”

Monitoring by Home Ministry, deployment of central forces

The Union Home Ministry is keeping a close watch on the preparations for the Yatra. Central forces like BSF, ITBP and SSB have been deployed in sensitive areas, especially in high altitudes and forest areas. Officials said that this year unprecedented coordination is being seen between security and civil agencies. Travelers have been requested to pre-register, carry valid identity cards and follow the specified guidelines.

Yatra will start from July 3, unprecedented security cover

The annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave temple, located at an altitude of 3,880 meters, will begin from July 3. Tight security arrangements have been implemented on both the routes – Pahalgam in Anantnag and Baltal in Ganderbal. The Pahalgam route has been divided into 17 zones and 51 sub-zones and special officers, quick reaction teams (QRT), mountain rescue teams, anti-sabotage teams and traffic controllers have been deployed in each zone. The preparations have been checked through mock drills.

Emergency services, disaster management, medical teams and traffic police participated in the mock drill conducted recently. Scenarios like natural disaster, terrorist attack and health crisis were practiced in the drill, so that coordination and quick response capability could be tested among all the agencies. Along with this, there was an amazing integration of technology and logistics.

The administration has streamlined water, electricity, medical and sanitation facilities at all halts. Base camps and langars have been made ready for use after hygiene inspection. For the first time this year, technologies like high-definition CCTV, drone surveillance, satellite tracking, and AI-based facial recognition system have been incorporated in the security system. Special monitoring centres have also been set up.