A few groups of students in four universities have staged demonstrations on their campus over women’s clothing.
Welcoming the High Court's recent observations regarding women's attire in Bangladesh, they staged demonstrations with placards over the past week at Dhaka University (DU), Jahangirnagar University (JU), Jagannath University (JnU), and Islamic University (IU).
The placards read “Stop public nuisance in the name of freedom of choice”, “Your body-your choice, but you have no right to annoy us”, “Women who destroy national culture by adapting a western lifestyle are cultural terrorists”, etc.
On Sunday, 13 students of Islamic University (IU) in Kushtia formed a human chain in front of the main gate of the university under the banner of common students.
The students demanded trial against importers who bring in western culture in the name of clothing.
A group of JU students also formed a human chain to hail the court observation. The human chain program was held on the premises of Shaheed Minar on Sunday.
They also voiced their concern over the women’s choice of clothing urging people to speak out against clothes that go against Bangladesh’s values.
Some students of Jahangirnagar University formed a human chain Bangla TribuneSimilar protest was staged at JnU on Sunday.
One of the students of Accounting Science and Information System Department said: "We salute the High Court’s observation and statement of the High Court. Clothes for public places and private places are never the same. If someone wears indecent clothes in a public place, it can be a source of annoyance for many people.”
Some students of Jagannath University formed a human chain Bangla TribuneOn Thursday, Dhaka University (DU) students also formed a human chain over women’s clothing.
Similar photos of the demonstration on the North South University (NSU) premises went viral on social media on Saturday. However, Dhaka Tribune could not confirm the identity of the protester
Some students of Dhaka University formed a human chain under the banner 'banner of ordinary students' Bangla TribuneWhat did high court say?
On August 22, the High Court observed the dress of the 22-year-old private university girl, who was subjected to humiliation by a woman and several men while waiting with two of her friends at Narsingdi Railway Station on May 18, was not proper as per the country’s culture.
The High Court noted that such dress (sleeveless tops and jeans) was inappropriate even in Gulshan area.
Women rights groups, cultural activists, and civil society organizations condemned the court's observation terming it unconstitutional.
The court made the observation while granting bail to Shila, one of the assaulters, on the justification that a woman can not sexually abuse another woman.
Shila's counsel Kamal Hossain and deputy attorney general Mohammad Abul Hashem were questioned by the court during the hearing over the attire of the women who afterward assembled at Narsingdi Railway Station to protest the victim's harassment for wearing "indecent clothing."
DAG Abul Hashem and attorney Kamal Hossain brought the judges' attention to a number of remarks made on social media as the judges' observation was being criticized by women's rights advocates.
The court then ordered Hashem and Kamal to write down the specifics of the critics and give them to the judges so that appropriate action could be taken.