Protests continued at Dhaka University (DU) on Monday against increasing rape and violence against women across the country, with demonstrators demanding the public execution of rapists.
From morning to evening, students from various DU departments gathered under their respective banners, calling for justice.
The protests were held at various locations, including the Raju Memorial Sculpture, Aparajeyo Bangla, Curzon Hall, and Shaheed Minar, starting at around 11am.
Students and faculty members from several departments, including Geography and Environment, Banking and Insurance, Pharmacy, Management, Women and Gender Studies, Statistics, Islamic History and Culture, International Relations, Zoology, and Sociology, participated in the demonstrations.
During the protest, Dr Nazmun Nahar, a professor of Geography and Environment, expressed concern over the safety of women, stating that she, too, feels insecure and that no female student in the university is safe.
She emphasized that simply executing rapists is not enough, as the public does not witness the executions, and stressed the need for public punishment, as practised in some Middle Eastern countries.
Nazmun also raised concerns about the disruption of academic progress due to class boycotts and urged the government to resolve the issue of rape urgently.
Meanwhile, Prof Mohammad Shafiullah pointed out that rapes have been occurring for the past 15 years without proper justice, stating that if rapists had been punished earlier, such frequent incidents would not be happening today.
He demanded the public execution of rapists and expressed hope that the interim government would ensure justice.
Aqib Mahmud, a student from the Linguistics Department, criticized the lack of justice for rapists and called for a punishment so severe that it would deter anyone from even considering committing such crimes.
He demanded assurance that women could move safely outside their homes.
Throughout the protest, students chanted different slogans demanding punishment for rapists.
