Students of the Department of Environmental Sciences at Jahangirnagar University (JU) held a rally and human chain on Monday, protesting alleged misconduct with university Proctor and department Chairman Prof Dr AKM Rashidul Alam and demanding the immediate arrest and punishment of the accused in the attempted rape of a female student.

The protest began around 1:00pm from the department premises and marched through different roads on the campus before ending with a brief rally at the Shaheed Minar.

Protesters chanted different slogans – “Justice, justice, we want justice”, “We will not accept the humiliation of the Proctor”, and “We will not tolerate the harassment of teachers.”

Speaking at the rally, 51th batch student Emon Molla said the failure to arrest the accused over the attempted rape had created frustration among students, and demanded the highest punishment of the culprit.

He also alleged that certain groups were trying to divert the movement to political direction, and urged students to remain united for justice.

Another student, Kamal Pasha, condemned the use of offensive language and discourteous behaviour towards teachers during recent protests, saying such actions were unacceptable.

The protesters called for the immediate arrest of the accused, a fair trial and the preservation of a peaceful academic environment on the campus.

The protest comes amid allegations that a group of students used offensive slogans against the university Proctor and attempted to harass him in front of the Proctor Office on Saturday night.