On Sunday, a few hundred students of Uttara University staged demonstrations demanding punishment of some staff of Turag Paribahan bus service. The students peacefully intercepted buses of the line and demanded that the police and the owners take action. This was prompted by an incident a day before when a female student of the university was sexually harassed on a Turag bus when she was on her way to the university. From news reports and posts by protestors on social media, we know that after the woman boarded the bus, the staff stopped taking any more passengers. As more people started getting down, the woman, feeling unsafe, wanted to get down from the nearly empty bus. At this point, the staff refused and blocked her way. As she forced her way out, one of them grabbed her.

The whole incident is disconcerting; the issue of women's safety in public transports is one that merits critical attention today. A report published in February revealed that at least 17 women were raped in public transports, primarily buses, within the previous 13 months. In March, another report found that 94 percent of women using public transport have been victims of sexual harassment.

That the students who protested and intercepted the buses on Sunday had to resort to this speaks of how little the bus authorities have done to ensure women's safety. It is primarily transport owners who have the responsibility here. There have been good suggestions of ensuring accountability of drivers and staffers through installation of CCTVs and keeping proper records of those employed. We hope that the protest by these students will prompt a quick investigation—exemplary punishment and public outrage can go a long way to fight the endemic of sexual harassment and rape that plagues this country.