Police pledge strong action against rape spree
The police move to hold rallies came amid anti-rape protests where protesters blamed the police for inaction in arresting the accused and their patrons
Police have vowed to take strong action against rape sprees across the country and have requested local communities to be more aware about preventing such crimes.
The Bangladesh Police staged countrywide rallies against rape and sexual harassment with the participation of community leaders at 11am on Saturday.
The police move to hold rallies came amid a 12-day-long anti-rape protest countrywide where protesters blamed the police for inaction in arresting the accused and their patrons.
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The police anti-rape rallies were held in 6,912 beat-policing areas all over the country, according to the Police Headquarters.
Community leaders, women, locally-elected representatives, teachers, imams, and people from all classes and professional groups participated in the rallies, said Sohel Rana, assistant inspector general (media) at the Police Headquarters.
Some rallies were live-streamed on social media.
Attending a rally in Noakhali, Anwar Hossain, a deputy inspector general of police at the Chattogram range, claimed police receive delayed information about rape incidents, thanks to a lack of awareness and the reluctance of victims' families and locally elected representatives.
In the capital, Dhaka Metropolitan Police held rallies in 302 locations under 50 police stations where top police officials, deputy commissioners and respective stations' officers-in-charge hosted the programmes.
Ruling Awami League and its student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League attended many of the police rallies.
At Dhaka University's Teacher-Student Centre area, Shahbagh police arranged a rally where Chhatra League President Al Nahian Khan Joy demanded the arrest of immediate-past Ducsu VP Nurul Haq Nur and his associates over a rape charge.
Recently, a rape and sexual molestation video of a housewife in Noakhali's Begumganj triggered huge public outrage countrywide and anti-rape protests.
It forced the government to issue an ordinance with the death penalty for rape convicts.
At many of those movements, Chhatra League men allegedly attacked protesters. However, Police, in a recent press release, said a vested group is trying to distract the anti-rape movement.
