The Jatiya Sangsad will form an allparty parliamentary committee to probe the death of schoolgirl Mahima, who committed suicide after being gangraped allegedly by four student activists of the BNP.

Announcing the decision, Deputy Speaker Akhtar Hamid Siddiqui told the House yesterday that the proposed committee would be formed today if he receives a proposal from any of the lawmakers.

The ruling from the chair came following demands by several lawmakers. Law Minister Moudud Ahmed seconded the call.

Earlier, Home Minister Altaf Hossain Choudhury made a lengthy statement on the Mahima rape and suicide case as a number of treasury

and opposition lawmakers spoke on the incident that took place recently at Kathalbaria village of Puthia Upazila in Rajshahi district.

Mahima committed suicide on February 19, four days after she was gangraped, as the rapists circulated photographs of the rape incident.

"The entire nation was ashamed of the atrocious and heart-rending incident. It is an isolated act of crime that seems to be a sequel to old enmity. It has no political or communal edge," the home minister said, blasting opposition leader Sheikh Hasina and her party for trying to 'politicise' the issue.

Referring to another incident of rape at the same area one and a half years ago, he commented that had the culprits of that incident been punished by the previous government, Mahima's incident might not have happened.

"The opposition leader is now shedding crocodile's tears for Mahima although she did not punish the culprits of thousands of such rape and murder incidents during her rule," the home minister told the House. "She rather protected and rewarded the rapists."

The minister lashed out at the Awami League chief for her visit to Mahima's house and 'sending' leaders of the 11-party left alliance to meet the victim's family.

"All this is designed to discredit the government. They are trying to gain political dividends out of the painful incident. But we will not allow them to fish in the troubled water," Altaf Hossain said while treasury bench lawmakers thumped their desks. "We must resist their attempts to belittle the nation and the government."

The home minister also described how Mahima was gangraped and committed suicide while the police took action so far.

Referring to his visit to the victim's family on Friday, he said a

gang of four young men led by Ujjal, who used to tease Mahima, came to her house at Kathalbaria village at about 5:00pm on February 13. They gagged Mahima with a gamchha (thin towel) and dragged her to a nearby sugarcane field. All the four culprits raped Mahima and left her there.

A devastated Mahima returned to her house and told her parents about the incident.

The culprits snapped Mahima in the nude and circulated the photographs in the locality. Mahima's father and others tried in vain to recover the photos.

The shame was too much for Mahima to bear with and she committed suicide by taking poison four days later.

The police have so far arrested seven of the nine accused in two cases regarding the gangrape and the suicide, the home minister said, assuring the House of exemplary punishment to all the rapists.

"I have ordered the local police to arrest anybody, lobbying for the release of the arrested persons," he said.