Justice seeking students, cops face off again

Demonstrators and police chased each other yesterday at the capital's Doyel Chattar and High Court areas where the latter put up barricades, halting a procession trying to lay siege to the home ministry with five demands, including arrest of perpetrators of the Pahela Baishakh mass molestation of females.

Pragatishil Chhatra Jote and Samrajjobad Birodhi Chhatra Oikya, an alliance of 13 student organisations, first brought out a procession on the Dhaka University campus and then staged a sit-in at the HC old gate after facing the barricade of at least 200 armed personnel and armoured personnel carriers.

The protesters criticised the role of the home minister and law enforcers. 

Snehardi Chakrabarti Rintu, general secretary of a faction of Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, said, “The home ministry totally failed to ensure people's safety. They are afraid of meeting us face to face. They can not stop agitated youths.”

On April 14, some youths sexually assaulted around 20 females on the DU campus for an hour, but the proctor and police on duty nearby allegedly did not respond on time.

Moreover, Bangladesh Chhatra Union activists were beaten up by cops on May 10 when they tried to besiege the Dhaka Metropolitan Police headquarters protesting the police failure.

Police recently released photos of eight molesters, declaring cash rewards for information leading to their arrest.

The other demands include removal of the proctor and punishment for the cops for negligence on that day, and enforcement of the 2009 High Court guideline to prevent harassment at educational institutions.