Dhaka, February 22: A student who was raped by leaders of the ruling student organization during the student movement against discrimination has expressed anger against the movement's coordinators for not receiving justice.
She made the allegation at an exhibition on 'The Role of Women in the July Uprising' organized at the National Art Gallery Auditorium of the Shilpakala Academy on Saturday (February 22).
Rape incident and student complaint
The victim student said that on August 4, at around 9:30 am, Chhatra League leaders forcibly picked him up from the Chashara roundabout in Narayanganj. About 20-25 leaders and activists beat him with sticks and took him to an office located next to Tolaram College.
There, her phone was taken away and she was verbally abused. After a while, when everyone left, two activists raped her.
The student further alleged that he reported the incident to various leaders of the movement, but no one helped him. He said,
"When I told the coordinator Umama Fatima Apu, she just expressed her regret and covered up the matter. When I told Nusrat Tabachchum Apu, she asked me to knock on WhatsApp, but later she did not respond."
The victim said that Sarjis, one of the leaders of the movement, knew about the matter from the beginning and promised to talk to the administration and take action, but in the end, nothing was done.
Aftermath and impunity
The student found out she was pregnant in November. She later had a miscarriage on December 31.
He expressed his anger and said,
"When I went to seek justice, I was assured, but nothing was done. The rapists are still roaming free, and I suffer in silence."
Coordinators' statements and counter-reactions
Meanwhile, coordinator Nusrat Tabachum claimed in a Facebook status that they wanted to help the victim. She wrote,
"We were ready to talk to his family and conduct treatment and investigations. But he wanted something else, which cannot be disclosed without his permission."
On the other hand, Dhaka University student and activist Mohiuddin Rony expressed his anger on his verified Facebook page and wrote,
"Justice not served even after 6 months! Power for the people, or the people for power? Political parties can sit in a meeting with Dr. Yunus, but can't talk about the justice of a student who was raped?"
Social reaction and next steps
Since the incident, various quarters have expressed outrage and demanded the immediate arrest of the perpetrators. Human rights organizations say that law enforcement agencies and the administration of educational institutions should take swift action so that the rapists are punished and the victims get justice.
There has been no official statement from the police or administration on the incident yet. However, social activists say they will continue their movement to demand an impartial investigation into the incident and bring the culprits to justice.
