Jahangirnagar University Vice Chancellor on Saturday drew protests for not punishing a teacher accused of raping a female student.
Nipiron Birodhi Mancha held the protest rally on the campus on Saturday against the rape of a woman leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League by keeping her husband confined on February 3.
Protesting the indifference of JU VC to punish the accused teacher, Professor Mohammad Golam Rabbani, Professor of History Department and a senate member of the university, said, "I told the VC that if you want one more syndicate meeting then you have to take action against the accused teacher as per the rules and regulations.
You have to suspend the accused teacher. Otherwise, you will not get any opportunity to call syndicate meetings. But the VC is afraid of holding the trial of the accused teacher."
The protest rally was held at around 5:00pm on the universitys transport yard.
Accused teacher Mahmudur Rahman Joni, an assistant professor of Public Health and Informatics Department was earlier sacked as assistant proctor.
The protesters said that the culture of impunity of given by the university administration led to rapes and other sexual harassment incidents.
Anichha Parvin Jolly, a Professor of History Department, expressed concern over protecting a culprit like Mustafizur who was prime accused in a recent rape incident.
She said, "The time has changed but not the culture. When a fresher comes to the campus and becomes a victim of ragging and loses his respect for seniors as well as the teachers, then he becomes a culprit like Mustafiz."
Expressing deep concern, Shamsul Alam Selim, a professor of Government and Politics Department, said, "A group of politically motivated former students patronised by the administration came to the rally to divert the movement against repression."
Terming the ouster of former students from residential halls as Eye wash, Barrister Shihab Uddin Khan, a former student of the English Department said, "The Jahangirnagar University administration staged a drama of ousting former students from the residential halls. They are harassing students who are not politically affiliated with any political party. They don harass politically affiliated former students. It was "An eye wash.
The protesters demanded exemplary punishment of the prime accused and his associates over the recent incident of gang rape on JU campus.
