Protests spread as none held over DU student rape

The protests demanding justice for the Sunday’s alleged rape of a Dhaka University student in the capital spread on Tuesday to other campuses in the country as none was so far arrested in this regard.

Police investigators said that they were still scrutinising the CCTV footage around the crime scene on the Airport Road in Kurmitola.

Thousands of DU students continued their protests for the second consecutive day against the rape and torture of their fellow girl student in Kurmitola.

Besides, students in Jagannath University, Kustia Islamic University and Rajshahi University, among others, also came out on the streets on the day in protest  against the offence.

Gulshan police deputy commissioner Sudip Kumar Chakraborty told New Age that they were yet to get any substantial clue from the footage.

Inspector general of police Mohammad Javed Patwari said that the police were investigating the rape incident with ‘top priority’ and hoped that the case would be solved.

He said that time would be needed for the investigation, adding that no timeframe could be set for the job.

Our court correspondent reported that a metropolitan magistrate court in Dhaka on Tuesday accepted the first information report on the incident and ordered the police to submit the investigation report before the court on January 28.

Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Begum Yeasmin Ara passed the order while Dhaka Cantonment general recording officer Afsana Begum placed the FIR and the case document before the court.

The court also granted the DNA test prayer, she said.

National Human Rights Commission chairman Nasima Begum visited the victim on Tuesday while Dhaka Medical College Hospital director Brigadier General AKM Nasir Uddin said that her condition was improving.

He further said that a seven-member medical board had already been formed, which was treating the patient.

She is in a trauma and the hospital authorities have appointed a psychiatric specialist to counsel her, he added.

At Dhaka University, students and different TSC-based socio-cultural organisations joined the daylong protests.

They demanded an exemplary punishment for the criminal but expressed frustration as no one was arrested yet over the incident though forty-eight hours already elapsed.

In the morning, hundreds of students from the university’s political science department staged a protest rally at the base of the anti-terrorism Raju memorial sculpture, who also burnt an effigy of the rapist.

Addressing the rally, Anika Anjum, a second-year student of the department, blamed the culture of impunity against rampant rape incidents across the country.

She further said that after an incident of rape, general people became interested in the character of the victim, which was kind of another ‘mental rape’.

Political science department teacher Sabbir Ahmed said that nowadays people talked about development but without ensuring security of the people such development was meaningless.

Later, students from the Bangla and finance departments held separate protest rallies and took out processions from the same spot.

At noon, the Students Unity against Violence and the Bangladesh Student Right Protection Council brought out a protest rally from the place.

Addressing this rally, Jahid Sujon, central general secretary of the Bangladesh Chhatra Federation said that the government failed to ensure security of the general students and a culture of impunity prevailed in the country, which was the main reason for frequent violence against women.  

He resented that though law enforcers recovered evidence of rape, the culprit was not arrested yet.

Bangladesh General Students Right Protection Council convener Hasan Al Mamun, Shamsunnahar Hall union vice-president Sheikh Afroz Tasnim, Socialist Students Front president Salman Siddique, among others, addressed the protest rally.

Meanwhile, the Student Community against Rape and Sexual Violence formed a human chain in front of the national museum in the capital protesting at the rape.

They announced that they would hold a mass procession on Saturday afternoon.

The Bangladesh Chhatra League painted an aplana from Ruqayyah Hall gate to the Raju memorial sculpture as part of their protest against the rape while some protesters covered the Raju sculpture with black cloth.

The Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal gave a memorandum to DU vice-chancellor Professor Akhtaruzzaman demanding justice for the victim and held a protest rally at the Raju sculpture.

Dhaka University Teachers’ Association would form a human chain on the campus today in protest against the rape.

The teachers also demanded immediate arrest of the rapist and urged the government to ensure justice by providing exemplary punishment of the culprit.

Our Jagannath University correspondent reported that female students of the university on Tuesday staged a demonstration on the campus.

At about 12:30pm, female students from the university’s different departments gathered in front of the Shaheed Minar of the university and later held a protest meeting till 2:00pm.

Our RU Correspondent added that the teachers and students of Rajshahi University on Tuesday also formed a human chain in front of the university’s main entrance protesting against the ongoing incidents of rape across the country.

Freedom fighters Jamal Kaderi and Nur Alom, RU English department professor Abdullah Al Mamun, Rajshahi Press Club general secretary Aslam Ud Doula, RU Chhatra Federation general  secretary Mohabbat Hossain Milon, RUCSU Andolon Mancha convener Abdul Majid Onto, Bangladesh General Students’ Rights Protection Council RU unit joint convener Morshedul Islam, among others, addressed the human chain.

Our IU correspondent in Kushtia said that the students of Islamic University demonstrated on the campus on Tuesday demanding punishment of the perpetrator.

Dhaka University Alumni Association has also condemned the rape.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net