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Female students of Jahangirnagar University staged a protest on Tuesday, expressing frustration over the authorities’ failure to identify or arrest the suspect in the attempted rape and attempted murder of a female student, 75 days after the incident.
Demonstrating under the banner of the Women’s Safety Platform (Nari Nirapotta Manch), the protesters also accused the university administration of failing to implement any of their six-point demands aimed at improving campus safety and ensuring justice for victims of gender-based violence.
The rally was held in front of the university’s Administrative Building and was moderated by Anika Tabassum Farabi, a student of the Department of Anthropology.
Addressing the gathering, Farabi said nearly two and a half months had passed since the attack, yet law enforcement agencies had failed to identify the perpetrator.
“During this period, several other incidents of harassment and violence against female students have taken place on campus, raising fresh concerns over the university’s security arrangements,” she said.
Soma Dumri, a student of the Department of Archaeology, alleged that the university administration had taken no meaningful action despite repeated assurances.
“After the incident, we submitted a six-point demand to the authorities. However, none of those demands has been implemented, despite repeated claims that steps have been taken,” she said.
Speaking at the protest, Naziha Binte Shamsuddin, a student of the Department of Economics, argued that the safety crisis at the university was systemic rather than the result of isolated incidents.
“Since August 5, incidents of harassment, attempted rape, rape and even murder on campus have reflected a deeper structural problem. Instead of addressing the root causes, the administration has largely relied on superficial measures such as installing barbed-wire fencing in different parts of the campus,” she said.
Referring to earlier security initiatives, she noted that approximately 250 CCTV cameras had been installed following the murder of student Rachi, along with several other safety measures.
“Those initiatives failed to reduce crime. Similar incidents have continued despite the additional surveillance,” she said.
Naziha said the platform’s six-point charter of demands seeks not only justice for victims of previous sexual violence cases but also long-term institutional reforms to create a safer campus environment for women.
“There is no alternative to ensuring transparent accountability of the university officials responsible for campus security. Unfortunately, the administration has shown a clear lack of political will to address this issue,” she added.
The protesters vowed to continue their movement until the alleged attacker is brought to justice and their demands for improved campus safety and institutional accountability are met.