Countrywide protests against rape continued for the third day in a row on Monday with more people joining the demonstrations with roads being blocked, human chains formed and rallies held, demanding capital punishment for perpetrators and swift delivery of justice for violence against women and children.
At Dhaka University, students of at least 40 departments boycotted classes and exams for the second day on the day, condemning the surge of incidents of rape and other forms of violence against women lately.
Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, student wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, on the day formed human chains in Dhaka city as elsewhere across the country.
The leaders at the human chains warned of tougher street movement if the government failed to curb the growing incidents of violence against women and improve the overall law and order situation.
Speaking at a human chain in front of the High Court main gate in Dhaka city, JCD president Rakibul Islam called on the government for taking urgent action to bring rape perpetrators to justice and measures to stop violence against women at once.
鈥楲aw and order situation must be improved. If the government fails to take steps, we will be forced to raise our voices against the government,鈥� Rakib said.
The widespread protests sparked since an eight-year-old girl was found in critical condition after she was raped in the early hours of March 5 while visiting her sister鈥檚 in-laws鈥� house in Magura.
She was transferred from other hospitals to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and finally put on life support being shifted to Combined Military Hospital in the city on Saturday.
The victim was still on life support at the CMH, said聽 a press release from the Inter Services Public Relation Directorate on Monday evening.
A Magura court about midnight past Sunday placed the main accused in a case filed over the rape of the girl child on 7-day police remand and three other accused on 5-day remand each.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Magura reported that Magura Bar Association, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Students Against Discrimination held separate human chains, demanding capital punishment of the perpetrators in the rape of the child.
In Dhaka, Jatiyatabadi Mahila Dal held a protest rally on the day in front of the central office of the BNP in the capital, demanding immediate exemplary punishment for the Magura child鈥檚 rapists.
At the rally, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi called on the government for swift delivery of exemplary punishment of the perpetrators of the Magura rape victim and set example for criminals, rapists and wrongdoers.
Mahila Dal president Afroza Abbas called for a speedy trial, warning that the recent surge in rape incidents could escalate further in absence of swift actions.
The Socialist Students鈥� Front on Monday at a rally, while pressing for the same demands, also demanded the removal of the home adviser for failure in ensuring public safety, 抖阴精品 correspondent in Dhaka University reported.
Addressing a protest rally in the afternoon at the base of the Anti-Terrorism Raju Memorial Sculpture, they condemned the surge in rape incidents and violence against women and children. Its central organisational secretary Pragati Barman Tama moderated the protest rally.
At DU, students of at least 40 departments on the day staged processions and rallies, demanding capital punishment for rapists. Some of the protesters even called for execution of capital punishment of perpetrators in public.
The protest marches and rallies continued from about 11:00am until about noon at several key locations on the campus, including Anti Violence Raju Memorial Sculpture, Aparajeyo Bangla, Curzon Hall, and Central Shaheed Minar.
In Rajshahi, students of Rajshahi University and other educational institutions blocked Dhaka-Rajshahi highway in front of the university鈥檚 main entrance about 12:15pm for about 45 minutes, demanding stern punishment for rape perpetrators and also a law to finish trial of rape cases within 30 days, 抖阴精品 correspondent in Rajshahi reported.
Earlier about 11:00am, several hundred students brought out a protest procession on the campus and staged a rally at the university鈥檚 Paris Road, demanding capital punishment for rapists.
In Cumilla, students of several educational institutions blocked Dhaka-Chattogram highway for two and a half hours starting from about 10:30am, causing a nearly 10-kilometre-long tailback amid terrible suffering of the travellers.
Students from Cumilla Modern High School, Cumilla Government College, Cumilla Women College and Cumilla Government Victoria College, among others, blocked the highway at Kotbari, chanting anti-rape slogans protesting rape, United News of Bangladesh reported.
The students also threatened tougher movement if the authorities failed to ensure exemplary punishment of the rapists.