This archive report was first published on 8 October 2019.
Published on October 8, 2019, a Bangladeshi man was arrested for a shocking act of violence against his wife.
Bablu Mondal, 35, was taken into custody by police in the northwestern district of Joypurhat after villagers reported the incident.
According to local police chief Shahriar Khan, Mondal found a human hair in his breakfast and became enraged, blaming his 23-year-old wife and forcibly shaving her head.
Mondal has been charged with 'voluntarily causing grievous hurt', an offence that carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in jail, and also for 'outraging the modesty' of his wife.
The incident highlights the growing repression of women in Bangladesh, despite laws to protect them from abuse and sexual assault.
Activists say that the country is witnessing a rise in violence against women, with an average of three rapes per day in the first six months of the year.
According to local rights group Ain o Salish Kendra, 630 women were raped between January and June, with 37 killed after the assault and seven others taking their own life.
There were also 105 instances of attempted rape, and in April, massive protests broke out after a 19-year-old schoolgirl was burned to death on the orders of her headteacher.
