Protesters keep slamming cops for irresponsibility

Students of Dhaka University and human rights activists yesterday protested the gang-rape of a Garo woman in a microbus in the capital on Thursday night.  

Jouno Nipiron Birodhi Nirdolio Chhatra Jote, a students' alliance against sexual harassment, organised a rally on the campus and later brought out a procession. They announced that they would give a memorandum to the prime minister in this regard on May 31.

Rights activist Khushi Kabir condemned irresponsibility of police that allows such rape incidents to take place.

She alleged that after the incident, three police stations refused to file a case saying that the place the incident occurred did not fall under their jurisdiction.

She said they should have helped the victim instead of referring her to another police station.

Tony Mathew Chiran, organising secretary of Garo Student Union, said the government must ensure security of all females, including indigenous women and girls.

He urged the prime minister to order immediate action to arrest the rapists.

Sanjeeb Drong, general secretary of Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum, said, "Five days have passed but there is no accountability on the part of the government."

Imran H Sarker, spokesperson of a faction of Gonojagoron Mancha, said, "Policemen who failed to arrest the rapists should be sacked."

Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum, Bangladesh Chhatra Union, Bangladesh Chhatra Federation, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, Udichi Shilpi Gosthi, and Nari Pakkha expressed solidarity with the students' alliance.

The 21-year-old woman was waiting for a bus in Kuril of the capital on Thursday night when a group of people pulled her into a microbus and gang-raped her before dropping her on Jasimuddin Road in Uttara.