Sexual Abuse of RU Student
Bithika Banik removed from provost’s post
The authorities of Rajshahi University (RU) have removed the provost of Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Hall, Dr Bithika Banik, said an office order signed by Registrar Prof MA Bari yesterday evening.
The office order said for the bigger interest of the university, Dr Banik was removed from her post.
It also said, Anjuman Ara, an associate professor of marketing department and a senior house tutor of the hall, will replace Bithika with immediate effect.
While talking to The Daily Star, the registrar said, “We took the decision after holding an emergency meeting with the provosts’ council, teachers’ association and administrative officials today [Friday].”
On Thursday, several hundred students demonstrated on the campus, protesting sexual abuse of a peer at the house of Dr Banik on Wednesday night.
They demanded removal of Dr Banik as “her negligence in duty” led to the student being abused by her brother Shyamol Banik. Later, they postponed their protest after RU Vice Chancellor Prof Abdus Sobhan assured them of the removal.
In an instant reaction of the removal, SM Tomal, a fourth year student of English department, said, “Removal of the provost was one of our demands. As it has been filled, now we want exemplary punishment of the accused as soon as possible.”
When contacted, victim’s father expressed dissatisfaction and said, “Removal from the post is not an adequate punishment. As a teacher, she failed on ethical grounds.”
He urged the authorities to remove Dr Banik from the university.
On Wednesday, an RU student was sexually abused by Shyamol when she was staying back at Bithika’s house after going there to tutor her daughter, in the city’s Dharampur area.
Police arrested Shyamol after the 20-year-old filed a case against him, saying that Shyamol forced himself on her after the provost had to leave the house around 1:30am, answering a call from the dormitory.
To save herself, the girl started shouting and Shyamol ran away from the room. Finding no way to get out of the house, she called her father in Gopalganj. Later police and RU proctor conducted a raid at Bithika’s house and rescued her.