Teachers and students of Dhaka University expressed disappointment saying that although it has been 12 years since perpetrators assaulted female students at Dhaka University’s Shamsunnahar Hall, the authority concerned has yet to take action against any accused.
On July 23, in 2002, the police entered the hall in the dead of night, dragged the female students from their beds, verbally abused and assaulted them, leaving scores of students injured.
The police personnel also swooped on them in the presence of the hall administration as they were protesting the illegal stay of some leaders of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the student wing of the BNP.
Marking the day, the university authority and students’ organisations have undertaken several programmes.
The hall unit Bangladesh Chhatra League brought out a candlelight procession from central Shaheed Minar to Shamsunahar hall dormitory yesterday evening.
However, even though it has been more than one decade since the incident, no legal action has been taken against the people who were responsible for the incident and neither has any recommendation of the probe body been implemented against of the perpetrators.
Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, teachers, students and student organisations expressed their frustration as the perpetrators were yet to be brought to book.
Rowshan Ara Nitul a third year student of the Mass Communication and Journalism department and also the general secretary of Shamsunnahar hall BCL unit, said it was a dark night for the women of our country since the country had never before seen such a heinous act against women since the inception of the country.
Dr Guchita Sharmin, house tutor of Shamsunnahar Hall, said, “It is a bad sign for the women and also raised questions about women’s safety and security at the university dormitory.”
She urged the authorities concerned to take stern steps against such activities to ensure proper safety and dignity of women.
After the incident, protests sparked on campus. The then vice-chancellor Anwarullah Chowdhury and the proctor Nazrul Islam resigned from their posts in the wake of the movements.
Around 500 students, five teachers and 10 journalists were injured during the movement. Several hundred students were also arrested.
After the movements, a one-member judicial inquiry commission led by Justice M Tafazzal Hossain submitted a probe report to the higher authorities of the government, blaming the VC, proctor, hall provost and police for the incident.
But neither has the full report been made public nor has any punitive action been taken against the people responsible for the incident.
The present Vice Chancellor of DU, AAMS Arefin Siddique, also expressed doubt about actions being taken against the accused.
“The documents can say it better,” he said, adding, “So far as I know, no action has been taken against the accused."
