Teachers, students protest against sexual violence across country

Teachers and students have staged protests across the country today, Sunday, demanding justice for rape victims and capital punishment for the rapists.

At Dhaka University, teachers and students held a protest rally before the Oporajeyo Bangla sculpture around 11:00 am. Among the speakers were Professor Gitiara Nasreen of mass communication and journalism department and associate professor Samina Lutfa of sociology department.

Students from different departments, including Chemistry and English, also brought out processions on the campus, protesting violence against women.

Meanwhile, students of the Dhaka Medical College gathered at the foot of the Raju Memorial Sculpture, covering their faces and foreheads with red cloth as a symbol of protest. They were carrying placards with various slogans against rape and violence against women.

During their stay at Raju sculpture, the protesters called for fair investigations into recent rape cases across the country and demanded the capital punishment for the offenders, particularly those involved in the rape of an 8-year-old child in Magura.

Similar protests were organised by students of Southeast University in the capital. They held a protest march in the Tejgaon industrial area, with slogans against rape, terrorism, and the culture of impunity. Students of some other private universities are also holding protests in the capital.

Earlier, students came out of residential halls in Dhaka University and held protests on the Raju sculpture premises at midnight on Saturday. They demanded fair investigations into the rape incidents and capital punishment for the offenders.

Similar protests took place in Rajshahi University, Khulna University, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, and Jahangirnagar University.