Police have arrested the Executive Secretary of Tumba Village in Burera District after a woman accused him of striking her with a beer bottle during an altercation at a local bar, leaving her injured.
The suspect is being held at Bungwe Police Station as investigations continue, according to the Rwanda National Police.
The complainant, Ishimwe Donatha, alleges the incident occurred at a bar in Kiyovu Trading Centre after she attended a wedding and later joined her husband.
She claims the village executive secretary confronted her, accusing her of making noise before the dispute escalated.
Donatha alleges the official hit her on the forehead with a beer bottle, causing injuries from the shattered glass.
She further claims the assault followed a long-standing dispute after she rejected what she described as the official’s repeated sexual advances.
“I refused his advances, and since then he has continued to target me,” she alleged.
The Rwanda National Police spokesperson for the Northern Province, Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Ignace Ngirabakunzi, confirmed the arrest, saying the village executive secretary is in police custody pending further investigations.
Residents who spoke to local media condemned the alleged assault, saying public officials are expected to protect citizens rather than subject them to violence. Some also alleged that the official had previously been accused of assaulting residents and called for appropriate disciplinary action if the allegations are proven.
The village executive secretary has not publicly commented on the allegations. Police said investigations are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
