"UP Chairman Accused of Assaulting Santal Woman Expelled from BNP"

Rajahar Union Parishad Chairman Rafiqul Islam, accused of assaulting a Santal woman and burning her house, has been expelled from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

“He has been removed from all party positions for anti-organisational activities. A formal notice has been issued,” said Mahmudun Nabi Titul, general secretary of BNP's Gaibandha district unit, as reported by The Daily Star. He declined to provide further details.

According to police and locals, the incident stemmed from a land dispute between the Santals and the chairman. On Friday, Rafiqul allegedly slapped Filimona Hasda, a 55-year-old Santal woman, during an altercation. Later that night, her house was set on fire, though the perpetrator remains unidentified, said Bulbul Islam, officer-in-charge of Gobindaganj Police Station.

Filimona received treatment at Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital and was discharged yesterday, confirmed Sub-Inspector Krishna, who oversees the hospital police camp.

Her son, Julius Soren, 35, has filed a case naming six individuals, including Rafiqul and his brother Mezbahul Islam. An investigation into the incident is ongoing, OC Bulbul added.