DU sees another day of protests

Dhaka University (DU) yesterday saw another day of protests against recent countrywide incidents of sexual assaults on females with demonstrators ending up having a scuffle with police and submitting a memorandum at the prime minister's office.

Since April 14, when some 20 females faced the assault during Pahela Baishakh celebrations, around 70 socio-political and cultural organisations, either independently or in separate groups, have staged demonstrations nearly every single day.

The protests led to confrontations with police using truncheons, tear gas and allegedly rubber bullets though yesterday's one, organised by Bangladesh Nari Mukti Kendra and Bangladesh Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, was limited to a scuffle.

There have been around five attempts to lay siege to the home ministry, with one by Bangladesh Chhatra Union on May 10 ending up leaving 34 activists and leaders injured and a female activist harassed.

Some seven memorandums have also been submitted both at the PMO and provided to the home minister till date.

Demands have mainly centred around bringing to justice the Pahela Baishakh assaulters, a staff allegedly responsible for molesting a class I student of Mohammadpur Preparatory School on May 4 and those who gang-raped a Garo woman in a moving microbus in the capital's Kuril on May 21.

On their part, police have declared cash awards after releasing photos from CCTV footage of some of the Pahela Baishakh assaulters but are yet to arrest the accused school staff. Over the gang-rape, two men arrested by Rapid Action Battalion have confessed.

Yesterday, the 50 or so demonstrators staged a sit-in after their procession from Aparajeya Bangla was stopped by police at Shahbagh around 1:30pm.

Prof Akmal Hussain who recently retired from DU's international relations department urged all to continue protests, accusing state authorities of being negligent in dealing with such offences.

The sit-in speakers also alleged that such crimes were on the rise for a culture of impunity along with a lack of accountability on the law enforcers' part.

Assistant Prof Afroza Bulbul of mass communication and journalism, Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (Marxist) leaders and Nari Mukti Kendra President Eva Mojumder also spoke.