People blocked Shahbagh intersection in the capital on Monday, protesting the horrific incident of Noakhali housewife’s molestation that has gone viral on social media.
The protesters demanded resignation of the home minister for his ‘failure’ to stop the incidents of rape and oppression against women across the country.
Around 300 protesters took positions at Shahbagh intersection carrying posters in the morning. They blocked the road around 11am and chanted various slogans against growing violence against women.
A group of protesters, mostly left-leaning activists, started demonstrations in front of the National Museum under the banner that reads “Bondi Somoyer Chitkar” around 11:15am.
Later, they moved to Shahbagh intersection, where they were staging a sit-in until filing of this report.
Bangladesh Chhatra Odhikar Parishad held a protest rally from Shabagh to Katabon and blamed the government for the rise in rape incidents across the country.
Former general secretary Chhatra Union Liton Nandi said, “Rape incidents are happening one after another across the country. The incidents of violence against women at MC College in Sylhet and in Noakhali’s Begumganj are all horrified ones.”
“The recurrence of such incidents is seen because of the culture of impunity in the country.”The protesters alleged that ruling party men are mostly involved in most of the cases — from Sylhet’s MC College to Noakhali’s Begumganj.
Meanwhile, Chhatra Dal activists and students hailing from Noakhali’s Subarnachar area and studying in Dhaka University (DU) also demonstrated under separate banners at Shahbagh and on the DU campus.
The housewife of Noakhali’s Begumganj upazila was molested by some local miscreants at Ward No. 9 of Eklashpur Union of the upazila last month and a video of the barbaric incident has gone viral on the internet on Sunday.
The incident sparked widespread outrage on social media. Five youths, including Delwar and his associates Badal, Kalam and Abdur Rahim, molested the housewife on September 2.
source: UNB
