BCL activists ‘sexually harassed’ female student at Jahangirnagar University

A female student of Jahangirnagar University has alleged that several activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) sexually harassed her on the campus during the Pahela Baishakh celebrations.

She filed a written complaint with the university’s administration on Thursday.

The allegation comes amid protests over harassment of female students of Jagannath University and the Dhaka University during the Bengali New Year celebrations.

Prof Rasheda Akter, who heads a JU cell that deals with sexual harassment, said they would discuss the complaint at their next meeting.

Meanwhile, the ruling Awami League’s student front has released a statement saying it expelled the five accused for the “sake of neutral investigation”.

They are – the university BCL working committee member and 42nd batch journalism student Nishat Imtiaz, Shaheed Salam-Barkat Hall unit publicity secretary and 42nd batch chemistry student Nafis Imtiaz, anthropology student Abdur Rahman Ifti, geology student ‘Rakib’, and history’s Nurul Kabir.

All of them are residents of Shaheed Salam-Barkat Hall and are known to be followers of BCL’s JU unit General Secretary Rajib Ahmed.

The female student alleged the BCL activists attacked her and one of her classmates at the university’s ‘Chourangi’ on Tuesday evening.

“We were returning to our residential hall after attending a programme of our department. The five [BCL activists] stopped us at Chourangi and tried to drag us to a nearby bush,” she told bdnews24.com.

Her classmate said one of the attackers pulled her clothes as well.

“They fled after we started shouting for help,” she added.

Students and teachers have condemned the attack but the female students say they fear for their safety.

Government and politics department’s Prof Nasim Akhter Hossain urged the administration to quickly resolve the matter.

BCL’s JU unit General Secretary Ahmed, too, demanded “exemplary punishment” for the accused.

Students protesting against the assault said they would not stop until the attackers were punished.

Bangladesh Chhatra Union’s university unit in a statement condemned the attack.

“Similar sexual assaults had taken place during new year celebrations even in the past. But the attackers were always spared due to the administration’s weakness and its leniency towards the accused,” it said.

BCL activists were also accused of sexual assault on the campus in the past.