‘Does your training rule out respecting women?’

Protests continued against the harassment of Tejgaon College faculty member Lata Samaddar by a police officer for wearing teep for the second day yesterday.

At a rally in Shahbagh, Bangladesh Nari Pragati Sangha (BNS) and Jonouddyog demanded punishment of the harasser.

Shahnaj Sumi, deputy director of BNS, said communal forces' ill-attempts have long been in place to impede women's free movement, in the form of hurling abusive comments for their attire.

Horendra Nath Singh, assistant organising secretary of National Adivasi Forum, also spoke.

Meanwhile, 16 eminent citizens issued a statement condemning the incident.

"Does the training rule out respecting women?" asked the statement to the top brass of police.

The statement mentioned that a central minister of the Ayub Khan government in the 1960s made scurrilous comments on Bangalee women for wearing teep.

"The repetition of such an incident in independent Bangladesh is unfortunate."

Right activists Sultana Kamal, Khushi Kabir, TIB executive director Iftekharuzzaman, Asif Nazrul, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, advocate Rana Das Gupta, Meghna Guhathakurta, advocate ZI Khan Panna, Sanjeeb Drong, Dr Abul Barakat, advocate Tabarak Hossen, barrister Sara Hossain, Dr Mesbah Kamal, Kajanl Devnath, advocate Subrata Chowdhury and Shamsul Huda signed the statement.

Ain o Salish Kendro (ASK), in a statement, echoed the same sentiments.