Syed Shemul Parvez :
Hundreds of people, including the students of different universities, took to the streets in the capital city and elsewhere of the country on Monday protesting against continuous rapes, sexual harassment and brutal torture on women, including one in Noakhali.
Demanding exemplary punishment of culprits over the brutal torture on a Noakhali housewife with recording the incident in video, Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Odhikar Songrokkhon Parishad, Chhatra Dal, left-leaning activists and students of different universities blocked roads at different parts of the country during their protests.
Several hundred people blocked the citys Shahbagh intersection with, protesting the horrific incident of Noakhali housewife’s molestation that has gone viral on social media. The protesters demanded resignation of the home minister for his ‘failure’ to stop the incidents of rape and oppression against women across the country.
The protesters took positions at Shahbagh intersection carrying posters.
They blocked the road around 11am and chanted various slogans against growing violence against women.
“Rape incidents in the country are nothing new. We have to stand against those who are patronising rapists in the country,’ said former Dhaka University Central Students’ Union vice president Nurul Haque Nur.
Besides, a group of protesters, mostly left-leaning activists, started demonstrations in front of the National Museum under the banner that reads “Bondi Somoyer Chitkar” around 11:15am.
Former general secretary Chhatra Union Liton Nandi said, “Rape incidents are happening one after another across the country. The incidents of violence against women at MC College in Sylhet and in Noakhali’s Begumganj are all horrified ones.”
“The recurrence of such incidents is seen because of the culture of impunity in the country.”
The protesters alleged that ruling party men are mostly involved in most of the cases-from Sylhet’s MC College to Noakhali’s Begumganj.
Meanwhile, Chhatra Dal activists and students hailing from Noakhali’s Subarnachar area and studying in Dhaka University (DU) also demonstrated under separate banners at Shahbagh and on the DU campus.
At Uttara, Students of different universities on Monday blockade road in city’s Uttara protesting several gangrape incident across the country and assault of a woman in Noakhali after undressing her.
The students lay a siege to Uttara House Building crossing on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in the afternoon, halting traffic on the route.
Meanwhile, a 10-km long tailback of vehicles has created on both sides of the highway.
In Rajshshi, Students of Rajshahi University on Monday staged a demonstration and human chain demanding exemplary punishment for those accused in a woman torture that has gone viral on social media.
In Chittagong, a number of people staged demonstrations including forming human chain in city’s Charagi Pahar mor demanding exemplary punishment over the brutal torture on a woman in Noakhali on Monday.
Working journalists in the capital formed a human chain on National Press Club premises in Dhaka protesting against rape, sexual harassment and torture on women across the country.
Dhaka Reporters’ Unity vice president Nazrul Kabir, Ekushe Television senior reporter Mushfika Naznin, Journalist Syed Shemul Parvez, Poet Abid Azam, Writer Assadullah, Gazala Mahmud, Monita Sinha and others spoke in the programme.
Meanwhile, a Noakhali court has placed two accused in assaulting woman after undressing her on a six-day remand each. The accused who were remanded are M Abdur Rahim and Rahmatullah.
Noakhali Chief Judicial Magistrate Mashfiqul Haque passed the order on Monday (October 5) evening.
Police produced the accused before the court and filed petition seeking a seven-day remand for each.
Earlier four people have been arrested over assaults on a woman in Noakhali’s Begumganj, said police.
A case was filed against nine people over the beating of the woman stripped naked. The arrests came after a video of the torture went viral, sparking public outrage on social media.
RAB arrested two people, including the prime suspect, in Dhaka and Narayanganj, while Noakhali police arrested two more, said Superintendent of Police Md Alamgir Hossain.
The accused are Badal, Md Rahim, Abul Kalam, Israfil Hossain, Shaju, Shamsuddin, Sumon, Abdur Rob, Arif and Rahmatullah. All of them come from Begumganj.
Rahim and Rahmatullah were arrested in Noakhali, said the police superintendent.
A team of RAB-11 arrested Badal in Dhaka and Delowar in Narayanganj, both leaders of the gang, Ashik Billah, spokesman for RAB, told media on Monday.
Delowar was not named in the case, but he was allegedly involved in the case, Ashik Billah said, adding he was found carrying a firearm. The agency will disclose more details in a press briefing in Narayanganj later in the day.
On Sunday, police rescued the 35-year-old woman and took her into safe custody.
Earlier the housewife of Noakhali’s Begumganj upazila was molested by some local miscreants at Ward No. 9 of Eklashpur Union of the upazila last month and a video of the barbaric incident has gone viral on the internet on Sunday.
