Students, mostly female ones, rocked their campuses with their overnight protests at different public universities, including Dhaka University, demanding immediate justice for recent incidents of rape and sexual harassment across Bangladesh.
At Dhaka University, students from Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall gathered at the base of Raju Smrity Bhasjkarjya (Raju Memorial Sculpture) at midnight and started protests chanting various slogans.
Students from other dormitories joined the protests and announced the Raju Smrity Bhasjkarjya as the ‘Anti-Rape Platform’ (Dharshan Birodhi Monch) to amplify their voices against rape and violence against women.
They demanded the formation of a tribunal to ensure that justice is served without delay.
The protests follow the recent harassment of a Dhaka University student allegedly by a Central Library staff member.
The protests intensified as the news of a child rape case in Magura triggered nationwide outcry, with the hospital authorities describing the child's condition as "critical."
Besides, female students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) in Sylhet staged demonstrations demanding the death penalty for the rapist.
Breaking open the gates of dormitories, the students came out of the halls and staged demonstrations for two hours starting at 1am.
The students of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) also staged demonstrations on the same demand around 3am.
The Jahangirnagar University (JU) students blocked Dhaka-Aricha Highway, demanding toughest punishment of the rapist.
Magura rape victim shifted to Dhaka CMH for better treatment
They carried out the protest programmes around 2am.
The wave of protests also touched the students of Jagannath University as they took to the streets demanding death penalty of the accused.