DHAKA, June 17 — A court in Cumilla has sent expelled Islami Chhatra Shibir leader Jisan Mia Pradhan to jail in a case involving allegations of rape, forced abortion and criminal intimidation, following his discharge from hospital after a medical board found him physically fit.
The decision came after police produced Jisan before the court on Tuesday, several days after his arrest in a case filed by a woman from Daudkandi upazila who accused him of rape and forcing her to terminate a pregnancy. Senior Judicial Magistrate Tayeb Uddin of Cognisance Court-3 ordered that he be sent to jail pending further proceedings, according to court officials and investigators.
The case has attracted widespread attention in Bangladesh because of Jisan’s position within Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, and because of conflicting claims surrounding his reported disappearance, subsequent recovery and hospitalization.
Medical Board Clears Hospitalized Suspect
Jisan had been under police custody at Cumilla Medical College Hospital after being recovered from the Laksham Railway Junction area on June 13. Questions over whether he was genuinely ill or attempting to avoid legal proceedings prompted hospital authorities to form a four-member medical board to assess his condition.
According to hospital officials, the board conducted a series of examinations and found no medical grounds to keep him hospitalized.
Daudkandi Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md A. Bari told journalists that Jisan would be produced before the court after receiving medical clearance.
“After receiving the doctor’s clearance, Jisan was being taken to court,” Bari said while speaking to local media on Tuesday following the medical board’s decision.
Earlier, Cumilla Medical College Hospital Acting Director Dr. Mohammad Shahjahan said the board had been tasked with determining Jisan’s actual physical condition.
“If he is found to be feigning illness despite being medically fit, he will be discharged from the hospital,” Shahjahan told reporters while explaining the purpose of the medical review.
Allegations of Rape and Forced Abortion
According to investigators, the complainant alleged that she developed a relationship with Jisan through Facebook and that he later established a romantic relationship with her on the promise of marriage. Police say the woman became pregnant and was subsequently forced to undergo an abortion.
The woman later filed a case accusing Jisan of rape, forced abortion, criminal intimidation and related offenses. Three other individuals were also named in the case for allegedly assisting or facilitating the crimes.
Investigators say the dispute escalated after the woman pressed Jisan to fulfill his alleged promise of marriage.
Police maintain that Jisan went into hiding on June 11 after assuring the woman that he would marry her the following day. His family later filed a general diary claiming that he had gone missing.
Cumilla Superintendent of Police Md Anisuzzaman disputed suggestions that Jisan had been abducted.
According to the police chief, investigators found that Jisan “had gone into hiding” rather than being kidnapped, as initially claimed by family members. The superintendent made the remarks during a media briefing after the case came to light.
DNA Testing Ordered
The case has continued to move forward in court.
On June 14, a Cumilla court ordered the collection of biological samples from the complainant for DNA profiling and recorded confessional statements from two accused individuals in connection with the case. Investigators have said the forensic findings could become a key element of the prosecution’s case.
Police have not publicly disclosed the contents of the confessional statements, citing the ongoing investigation.
Expelled From Shibir
Before his arrest, Jisan served as assistant secretary for international affairs of the central committee of Islami Chhatra Shibir and previously led the organization’s Cumilla west district unit.
Following his arrest and the emergence of the allegations, the organization removed him from his post and later expelled him. Shibir said preliminary information suggested a personal relationship between Jisan and the complainant and that disciplinary measures had been taken under the organization’s rules while legal proceedings continue.
Other Accused Also in Custody
Police say the three other accused in the case — Sekander Ali, Golam Rabby and Sajib — have already been arrested and are in jail. Investigators have claimed that some of the co-accused have provided statements regarding the incident.
The case remains under investigation, with authorities awaiting forensic evidence and further witness testimony. The outcome is being closely watched because of the seriousness of the allegations and the prominence of the accused within one of Bangladesh’s largest student organizations.
