In protest against recent incidents of rape across the country and demanding the highest punishment for perpetrators, students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) staged a demonstration and blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway at midnight on Saturday.
They urged authorities to identify the culprits and ensure swift justice.
The protest began around 2:30am on Saturday when the demonstrating students blocked the highway near the university's main gate. After nearly half an hour of demonstration, they lifted the blockade at around 3am.
During the protest, students chanted slogans such as "Set fire to the rapists' lairs together," "Justice, justice, we want justice," "Spread the word in every hall, bury the rapists," and "No place for rapists in the Bangladesh of '24."
Earlier, at around 2am, students had brought out a protest march from the Shaheed Rafiq-Jabbar Hall area.
The march moved through several campus roads, passed in front of the female dormitories, and reached the Dhaka-Aricha highway.
Students from 8 to 10 residential halls participated in the demonstration.
Mohammad Ali Chishti, a student of the English department, said: "Despite a series of brutal rapes occurring across the country in recent days, the government's silence has only led to more tragedies. Just yesterday, we received the lifeless body of an eight-year-old, a victim of such heinous violence. Due to the lack of justice, another eight-year-old child was raped today in Gazipur. If exemplary punishment is not ensured for the rapists within the next 48 hours, we will announce stricter programs and block the Dhaka-Aricha highway indefinitely, demanding the resignation of the home adviser."
Shamsuzzaman, a student of the Chemistry department, added: "The dreams for which people shed blood and gave their lives in the 2024 mass uprising have now turned into nightmares. The interim government has failed to maintain law and order. Incidents of robbery and mugging are on the rise across the country. Cases of rape continue to occur one after another, leaving ordinary people feeling unsafe. The interim government must ensure the safety of the general public."
