Rape case filed against content creator Ripon Mia

A rape case has been filed against content creator Ripon Mia over allegations that he raped a 15 year old seventh grade schoolgirl. The girl’s father filed the case with Netrokona Model Police Station on Tuesday night.

Police said a drive is underway to arrest the accused.

Accused Ripon Mia is a resident of Nandura village in South Bishiwara Union of Netrokona Sadar Upazila. Although he works as a carpenter by profession, he is known as a content creator on social media.

Recently, Ripon Mia bought land in a neighboring village and began living there with his family. The girl is his neighbor.

Earlier on Monday evening, a village arbitration meeting was held over the allegation at the Ward 3 BNP office in Nandura Bazar of South Bishiwara Union in Sadar Upazila.

Former Union BNP President Fazlur Rahman led the meeting. BNP leaders Abdul Hai Munshi and Ataur Rahman, local Jamaat leader Zainal Abedin, Daulat Mia and local residents were present. At the arbitration, Ripon Mia was fined Tk 500,000 and ordered to leave the area. He was also given seven days to pay the fine.

Local residents and members of the conscious community have raised questions over the handling of an allegation involving a serious criminal offense such as rape through a village arbitration meeting at a political party office. They said such crimes should be adjudicated in court.

The girl’s family alleged that Ripon Mia had been in contact with the girl for several months. He later developed a romantic relationship with her by offering financial inducements and frequently harassed her.

It has been alleged that around 8 pm last Thursday, while she was cooking in the yard of her home, he took her to the back of the house by deception and raped her. It has also been alleged that when two local residents later witnessed the incident, an attempt was made to cover it up by paying them Tk 50,000.

Meanwhile, in a video of the arbitration meeting circulated on social media, Ripon Mia can be seen telling those present, “Even if I am at fault, or even if I am not, I will accept everyone’s decision.”

The video has sparked widespread discussion and criticism on social media after it was published.

Several local residents, speaking on condition of anonymity, said an allegation as serious as rape should not have been settled through a village arbitration meeting. They said such crimes must be adjudicated through the courts so that similar incidents do not happen again in the future.

Former Union BNP President Fazlur Rahman told Agamir Somoy that the girl’s family is extremely poor. He said Ripon developed a relationship with her by offering her money. They learned that the incident was not a case of forced rape. As the family did not have the financial means to pursue a case, local residents attempted to settle the matter through arbitration.

Ripon Mia has been absconding since the incident, so it was not possible to obtain his statement. His mobile phone was switched off, and he could not be reached by phone or WhatsApp.

However, Ripon Mia’s wife, Champa Akter, claimed that the girl regularly visited their home. But she said no such incident had taken place. She alleged that some people in the area were trying to frame and defame her husband out of jealousy.

Netrokona Model Police Station Officer in Charge Md. Abul Khayer said the girl’s father filed the case on Tuesday night. He said efforts are underway to arrest the accused.