BCL men 'sexually harass' RU students

Two Bangladesh Chhatra League activists of Rajshahi University were accused of sexually harassing two female students on the campus on Monday evening.

The victims, one of them student of philosophy and the other of physics, submitted a complaint to the proctor and Sexual Harassment Compliant Committee of RU yesterday.

It says BCL activists Sujon Pramanik, a third-year student of Islamic history and culture, and Liton Hossain, a fourth-year student of political science, intercepted the two women behind the central library while they were returning to the hall in the evening.

The BCL men passed lewd remarks, made inappropriate gestures and even tried to get closer to them, it said. The women then started to scream. Students rushed to the spot but the BCL men fled.

Both Assistant Proctor Solyman Chowdhury and BCL RU unit President Mizanur Rahman Rana said they would take proper steps. The two accused men were not available for comment.

Meanwhile, a group of BCL men allegedly tortured a student in a room of Madar Bux Hall early yesterday and tried to extort him.

Kazi Al-Amin, a second-year student of accounting and information system, said BCL leader Robiul Islam Boni, an executive member of BCL at RU, called him to room 303 around 12:00am and demanded Tk 10,000, threatening that he would be handed over to police.

"You have a full beard; so it is easy for us to brand you as a Shibir activist and hand you over to law enforcers," he also said, quoting Boni.

"When I refused, Boni and his aides tortured me showing a pistol."

They freed him one hour later asking him to leave the hall, Al-Amin said.

Boni was unavailable for comment but the RU BCL president, Rana, said Boni called Al-Amin suspecting him to be an Islami Chhatra Shibir activist but he did not demand money.

It was misunderstanding, and the matter was settled, he said.