On Wednesday (November 24), while taking testimony in a rape case filed by his alleged second wife, Jannat Ara Jharna, the accused Mamunul loudly prohibited him by saying, "Sharia law, Jharna, don't take off your hijab." A laugh was created in the Narayanganj District Women and Child Abuse Prevention Special Tribunal court.
During her testimony, plaintiff Jharna said, "I did not sign any marriage papers with Mamunul. Mamunul took me to various hotels and resorts under the pretext of marriage and had physical relations with me numerous times."
After the witnesses, tribunal judge Nazmul Haque Shyamal ordered the accused Mamunul Haque to be sent back to jail. Earlier, at 9:30 am, police brought Mamunul Haque to the Narayanganj court under tight security from Kashimpur jail.
Narayanganj Additional Superintendent of Police (K-Circle) Nazmul Hasan said that Mamunul Haque was produced before the court from Kashimpur Jail in Gazipur under adequate security arrangements. After recording his testimony at 2 pm, Mamunul Haque was taken back to Kashimpur Jail.
Public Prosecutor (PP) of the District Women and Child Abuse Prevention Special Tribunal Court, Rakibuzzaman Rakib, said that testimony has been taken in the rape case filed against Mamunul Haque by Jannat Ara Jharna, the alleged second wife of Maulana Mamunul, at Sonargaon Police Station. The plaintiff was interrogated by both sides. In the courtroom, at first, Mamunul Haque repeatedly tried to speak directional words to the plaintiff. Later, after requesting, she remained silent. At the beginning of the testimony, the court asked Jharna to remove her hijab from her face. At that time, Mamunul Haque said in a somewhat loud voice, "It is the order of Sharia, Jharna will not remove her hijab." At that time, Jharna removed her hijab once, showed her face to the judge, and then covered her face with her hijab again.
Court sources said that during interrogation, the plaintiff in the case, Jharna, told the court that after her divorce from a man named Shahidul Islam, taking advantage of her helplessness, Hefazat leader Mamunul Haque persuaded her (Jharna) to go to Dhaka. There, he kept her in the homes of various followers and made various sexual advances to her. Later, on Mamunul's advice, she started living as a sublet in a house in Kalabagan. At that time, Mamunul had physical relations with her after promising to marry her.
Jharna also told the court that it is impossible to say in numbers how many times Mamunul had physical relations with her in three years. But when it came to marriage, Mamunul started wasting time. The plaintiff alleged that Mamunul had been taking her to various hotels and resorts since 2018, promising to go on a trip. The last time she went on a trip was on April 3 at the Royal Resort in Sonargaon, Narayanganj, and Mamunul raped her there too.
At that time, PP Rakibuzzaman Rakib was on behalf of the plaintiff and the state. He was assisted by Narayanganj Bar Association President Advocate Mohsin Mia, former president Hasan Ferdous Jewel and some others. On the other hand, BNP National Executive Committee's Joint Legal Secretary Syed Md. Zainul Abedin Mesbah and some others were on behalf of the accused.
It is worth mentioning that Maulana Mamunul Haque was staying with a woman at the Royal Resort in Sonargaon, Narayanganj on April 3. At that time, local Awami League leaders and activists surrounded him. Later, local Hefazat leaders and activists and supporters vandalized the resort and kidnapped Mamunul. However, while being surrounded, the Hefazat leader said that the woman he was with was his second wife. He had married her according to Sharia law two years ago. However, he had kept the matter a secret from his first wife. After being detained at the resort, he told his wife on the phone, 'Jharna is Shahidul Bhai's wife, don't think of anything else in the middle again.'
Desk Report: Ekattar Journal 24
