Rape protesters demand ‘rule of law’
The female student of Dhaka University, who filed a rape case against six people including former Ducsu VP Nur, vowed to continue her hunger strike until the accused are arrested
Hundreds of protesters, who have been demonstrating over the last one week for a rape-free Bangladesh, have demanded that "rule of law" be ensured in order to bring the number of such heinous incidents to zero.
Death penalty or capital punishment will not help curb incidents of rape or repression against women in the country rather may provoke perpetrators to kill the victims in an aim to destroy the evidence, they have said.
"In each rape case, the perpetrators are backed by the ruling party or the law enforcement agencies. So, we need the establishment of the rule of law at first," said Umme Habiba Benojir, former president of Bangladesh Chhatra Federation's Dhaka University unit.
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Regardless of crime places, power is the ultimate backbone of the rapists, she also said, adding that, in most rape cases, the involvement of ruling party men is found.
Raoman Smita, a Supreme Court lawyer and women rights activist, said a long culture of impunity prevailing in the country paves the way for the perpetrators to get acquittal in such shocking cases.
"So far in the country, only 3% of cases of rape and child repression have seen a court verdict declaring punishment to the criminals. So, we need to bring the criminals to justice at first. Everything will be okay after that," she added.
The lawyer also demanded a change to the definition of rape in the current relevant law.
Arif Hossain, student of Dhaka University, said the death penalty in rape cases may incite the rapists to kill the victims on the spot.
"In fear of walking gallows, the criminals may want to hide the evidence where the rape victim is the primary evidence. Subsequently, the chance of victims' getting back from the rape scene alive would decrease," he added.
For the seventh consecutive day, protesters took the street in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh in Dhaka on Monday.
They also held a "cultural show" against rape, with cultural activists from different organisations singing songs, reciting poems and chanting slogans for a rape-free Bangladesh.
At that time, the place of the protest known as "Projonmo Chattar" at Shahbagh turned into a voice for women and children for a few hours.
Meanwhile, the female student of Dhaka University, who filed a rape case against six people including former vice-president of Dhaka University Central Students' Union Nurul Haque Nur, vowed to continue her hunger strike until the accused are arrested.
She continued her hunger strike for the fifth day on Monday and demanded immediate arrest of Nur.
She started the hunger strike at the base of Raju Memorial Sculpture accompanied by some classmates and female activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League on Friday night.
On Sunday, she became weak for not having food and her condition was deteriorating fast as she vomited 11 times.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka Court on Monday placed Nazmul Huda and Saiful Islam – two leaders of Bangladesh Students' Rights Council (BSRC) – on a two-day remand each over the cases filed against them for allegedly abetting and raping a female Dhaka University student.
Earlier in the day, the two were shown arrested in the two cases by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Detective Branch.
