In a bold stand against escalating sexual violence, Dhaka University students marched through campus on Friday, calling for justice for rape victims nationwide and vowing escalated action if demands go unmet. The DUCSU-led protest spotlighted horrors in Narsingdi and beyond, painting a grim picture of a nation in crisis under current leadership.
The event kicked off at the university’s Central Mosque post-noon, snaking to the Raju Sculpture amid resounding chants. Slogans like ‘Give power to women or lose yours,’ ‘Secure women or surrender power,’ ‘Tarique Rahman, stop the rapes,’ ‘Rapists have no home in golden Bengal,’ ‘Country drowns in blood, PM stays calm,’ and ‘No justice from Ayesha to Nandini’ echoed, fueling the crowd’s momentum.
Speaking sharply, General Secretary SM Farhad targeted PM Tarique Rahman: Strict measures against rapists and extortion rackets are non-negotiable for political survival. He accused BNP figures of harboring offenders, predicting campus dissent would spill onto public roads. ‘Nationwide campuses will mobilize students and citizens against the rape networks,’ Farhad warned.
Crime statistics paint a dire scenario. 2025 saw 181,737 incidents logged by police, dominated by assaults on women and children. Last year recorded 21,936 such cases, plus thousands of thefts, 3,785 murders, and 1,935 robberies. This surge coincides with the interim government’s 18-month tenure post-Awami League fall, exposing law enforcement breakdowns amid political flux.
As experts decry weakened policing, the student uprising underscores a youth-led pushback. Far from isolated, this movement could ignite broader upheaval, pressuring Yunus’s administration and BNP to prioritize safety. Bangladesh stands at a crossroads—deliver justice now, or face the streets’ fury.