Police hold anti-rape rallies across the country

Police yesterday held countrywide rallies against rape and all sorts of violence against women in a bid to create public awareness.

The rallies started simultaneously at all the 6,912 police beats across the country at 10:00am, according to a press release sent by Sohel Rana, assistant inspector general of Police Headquarters, yesterday.

Civil society representatives, women and children rights activists, esteemed locals, school and college students took part in the programmes.

The participants called on all sections of society to create mass awareness to prevent any kind of violence against women and children, including rape, and to stand by abused women and children, added the release.

The programmes of every police beat were broadcast on Facebook Live.

The gang-rape and torture of a woman in Noakhali's Begumganj upazila -- which was the spark for widespread protests across the country -- has embarrassed the nation, Chattogram Range Deputy Inspector General of Police Anwar Hossain said.

"There are no words to condemn the incident," he said while addressing a police rally against rape and violence against women at Begumganj upazila as part of the nationwide police programmes.

The police officer said law enforcement agencies should be more vigilant so that such incidents do not recur in future.

Citizens need to be more aware and report any incident to police immediately. Then no one will get a chance to escape after committing a crime, he said.

On September 2, the woman in Noakhali was gang-raped but police apparently came to know about the incident only after a video of the woman being stripped and beaten was circulated by the rapists had gone viral.

The incident triggered condemnation, leading to continuous street protests and forcing the government to incorporate the death penalty for rape in the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.

DIG Anwar said nearly 95 percent of people are oppressed by only 5 percent of people and that police have to come closer to people. They will have to restore people's trust through their actions.

Several lakh people across the country watched the rallies through social media, added the release from Police Headquarters