While former Vice-President of Dhaka University Central Students’ Union Nurul Haque Nur and five of his supporters were released hours after being detained by the police during a protest rally in Dhaka on charge of vandalism on Monday night, the group was again slapped with two other rape cases filed by a woman student of Dhaka University with Lalbagh and Kotwali police stations respectively under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and the Digital Security Act. The same female student, who had filed a rape case on Monday, again lodged a fresh case against them on Tuesday over abduction and rape in collusion with each other and demeaning her on social media.
It is to be noted that Nur from his election win as DUCSU VP to the subsequent attacks he sustained, the matter smacks of the failure of the DU authorities to maintain a democratic environment on the campus. One might have thought that Nur and his followers would get justice as the government initially showed signs of genuine concern. But it is an irony of fate that Nur and his supporters now have two rape cases against them under the two acts.
Media reports in the national dailies said that the Monday’s demonstration was organised by Nur’s organisation, Bangladesh Sadharon Chhatra Odhikar Songrokkhon Parishad (BSCOSP), in protest against a ‘conspiratorial’ case initiated by a postgraduate student of Islamic Studies at DU on Sunday. The detainees from the rally were taken to police’s detective branch (DB) office at Minto road in the capital initially. Later, Nur and five others were released on undertaking.
According to the case statement, Hasan Al Mamun, convener of BSCOSP, allegedly raped the complainant. She further alleged that Mamun had promised to marry her but refused later on. Then Nur in the name of arbitration over the matter allegedly “threatened her of character assassination through posts on social media.
Meanwhile, organisers said that they were observing a peaceful programme. But, they cannot understand why police launched attack on them all of a sudden? Nur was taken to DMCH as he was suffering from breathing problem while some other protesters had to receive treatment from different health service centres. On the other hand, police said five of their colleagues received primary care at DMCH after the scuffle with the protesters. The protesters claimed that many ruling party’s youth front members with police uniform also joined the assault.
We have to understand the students are not persons they are our future. They are fighting for the cause of freedom and accountability of the government. Our police have been too much abused by the government to remain in power. But we are not ready to see police is destroyed as an institution of law and its responsibility as late forces.
The allegation that the police uniform is also abused by the young party activists of the government is not heard for the first time. On other occasions also using police uniform by the young political activists of the government was reported in the press.
We urge the police authority not to sully the sanctity of their uniform. Let the government use their own private thugs.
We abhor police destroying people’s faith and trust in our essential law enforcing institution of good government and prove ourselves unworthy of governing ourselves.
We abhor police destroying people’s faith and trust in our essential law enforcing institution of good government and prove ourselves unworthy of governing ourselves.
Lastly, we strongly oppose using government’s politics of police cases against our children and university students. They are raising their voice of protest, when we have been silenced. Police must save its dignity as law enforcers.
