Bangladesh Islami Chhatri Sangstha’s (BICS) Dhaka University unit staged a protest on Monday, accusing BNP and its student wingJatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), of harassment of women, gang rape and attempts to confine women to their homes.
The protest took place in the afternoon through a brief rally at the base of Raju Memorial Sculpture at Dhaka University campus.
Addressing the rally, Islami Chhatri Sangstha DU unit president Sabikun Nahar Tamanna said they had once again been forced to protest violence against women allegedly committed by BNP and its student organisation, which she described as deeply regrettable.
She said the organisation had demanded justice over similar incidents just five days earlier and had expected at least a response from BNP, but received none.
She alleged that a middle-aged woman was stabbed to death in Gazipur on 31 January, while on Sunday a seventh-grade schoolgirl in Chattogram was gang-raped by Chhatra Dal activists.
She also claimed that a woman in Bhola was raped after her husband was tortured. The series of incidents, she said, had created serious concern about the future.
“When members of a student organisation linked to a so-called conscious political party become involved in such heinous crimes, it is a shame not only for women but for society and politics as a whole,” she said.
Sabikun Nahar further alleged that despite repeated protests and complaints, the administration had remained silent. She said no visible investigation into any of the incidents had taken place, raising concerns about whether authorities were under pressure.
Addressing BNP directly, she said the party was campaigning for a ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum, which it claims stands for women’s safety, justice and political rights.
“On the other hand, you are insulting women, abusing them and trying to confine them to their homes,” she added.
She warned that if the incidents were not properly investigated and the outcomes of the trials were not made public, women voters, who make up half of the electorate, would respond through the ballot.
