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Published : 16 May 2026, 11:43 AM
Jahangirnagar University has remained tense as students extended their overnight sit-in, demanding the resignation of the proctor and proctorial body over alleged security failures following an attempted rape incident on campus.
They continued their overnight protest in front of the vice-chancellor’s residence into Saturday morning.
Earlier, around 1am on Saturday, students brought out a procession from Taramon Bibi Hall.
The march moved through several female dormitories before ending at the VC’s residence, where female students from different halls began their sit-in.
Protesters said repeated failures in past incidents had stripped the proctorial body of “moral authority”.
History student Lamisha Zaman said, “Around 10pm [Friday], female students from different halls and faculties gathered in the guest room of Taramon Bibi Hall.
“We discussed the ongoing situation, security concerns and our demands for nearly two hours. Over the past two years, questions have repeatedly arisen about the role of the proctorial body. That is why everyone agreed on the demand for their resignation.”
Around 2:30am, Vice-Chancellor Prof Kamrul Ahsan met the protesting students, leading to a heated exchange over the demand for the proctor’s resignation.
The VC said, “If any student, teacher or staff member commits a crime inside the university, the proctorial body deals with it. But if an outsider commits a crime, it falls under police jurisdiction as a criminal offence.”
His remarks drew the ire of the students.
He later added, “There are rules for everything. The proctor cannot resign just by standing in front of the residence. We will form an inquiry committee to investigate whether there was any negligence.”
Rejecting the proposal, students continued their sit-in protest.
The incident occurred on Tuesday around 11:30pm near the old Fazilatunnesa Hall area, where a female student was allegedly dragged into nearby bushes and subjected to an attempted rape.
University authorities filed a case at Ashulia Police Station on Wednesday against unknown individuals.
The following day, students issued a 48-hour ultimatum to arrest the accused, warning that failure would lead to demands for the proctor’s resignation.
Their demands also include swift arrest and trial of the suspects within 48 hours, resignation of the proctorial body if it fails, stronger anti-harassment measures, enhanced campus security, recruitment of female security personnel into rapid response teams, and enactment and implementation of cyber protection laws for students.
