Leaders and activists of Ganatantrik Chhatra Jote, an alliance of several left-leaning student organizations, organized a torch procession at Dhaka University on Saturday evening to address the issue of the suicide of Fairuz Abontika, a student from Jagannath University.
Bangladesh Students’ Union, Biplobi Chhatra Maitree, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front (Marxist), Ganatantrik Student Council, Bangladesh Student Federation, Pahari Chhatra Parishad, and other student organizations took part in the procession.
The procession started from TSC, went to Shahbagh through Arts Building, the Central Mosque, turned around, and ended with a rally at Raju Sculpture.
Besides, the Bangladesh Student Federation held a demonstration at Raju Sculpture addressing the same issue at 4:30pm.
Saikat Arif, general secretary of the Bangladesh Student Federation, said the university vice-chancellors and proctors consider themselves landlords. A few days ago, there was an incident of sexual harassment at Dhaka University. A group of students at Dhaka University were attacked while they were doing a Ramadan program.
The administration of the university, their landlordship, and their lathial forces, do not take any action if they do any injustice, he added.
Zinat Ara, a member of the central executive committee of the Bangladesh Chhatra Federation, said, Abontika is a victim of structural murder. These oppressors have backups, so they have been able to continue this oppression for so long.
The university administration has been talking about the implementation of sexual harassment cells from the beginning. But there is no implementation of it, she added.
They demanded a prompt investigation and a fair trial.
Fairuz Abantika, a student of the 2017-18 academic year of Jagannath University (JnU) Law Department, hanged herself at her Comilla residence after accusing her classmate and the assistant proctor of the university in a Facebook post around 10pm on Friday.
Meanwhile, the university administration relieved Assistant Proctor Din Islam from her duty and suspended classmate Amman Siddique.
Besides, the university administration has formed a four-member probe committee.
In her Facebook post before committing suicide, Fairuz Abantika said that her classmate Amman Siddique and Assistant Proctor Din Islam would be responsible for her suicide.