JU Students Lock Admin Building Over Attempted Rape of Female Student

Left-leaning students at Jahangirnagar University (JU) staged a fierce protest on Sunday (May 17) demanding the immediate arrest and trial of the accused in an attempted rape case, alongside demanding accountability from the Vice-Chancellor. The demonstrators locked the main entrance and an internal gate of the new administrative building at around 10:00 AM, completely paralyzing the university's administrative operations.

The protestors have placed a six-point charter of demands before the university authorities. Their core demands include the swift arrest and prosecution of the perpetrator, the immediate resignation of the proctorial body, upgraded campus security measures, the recruitment of female security personnel, the formation of a dedicated quick response team, and the formulation and implementation of a comprehensive cyber security policy.

During the administrative shutdown, Fahmida Moon, a student from the 52nd batch of the Urban and Regional Planning department, stated that their primary demand was the arrest of the culprit within 48 hours. She added that since successive security breaches have transpired under the current administration, the proctorial body must resign if they fail to apprehend the accused. The student leader affirmed that the registrar's building would remain locked until the university administration provides a definitive timeline for the arrest.

The agitation stems from an incident on May 12 at around 11:30 PM, when an unidentified individual allegedly dragged a female student into the bushes near the Old Fazilatunnesa Hall and the extended section of Al-Beruni Hall in an attempt to rape her.

Following the incident, the Deputy Registrar of the university's security wing, Md. Jefrul Hasan Chowdhury, filed an attempted rape and attempted murder case against the unidentified assailant at the Ashulia Police Station. Ever since the assault, JU students have been continuously demonstrating on campus, citing a total failure of the security apparatus and pushing for their six-point demands.