Police on Saturday detained a student of Jagannath University and the university’s assistant proctor, Din Islam, hours after a case was filed against them for instigating a female student of the university to commit suicide.
Their arrests came amid protests from students at different universities, who agitated on Saturday, seeking justice over the death of Fairuz Sadaf Abontika, a 13th-batch student at Jagannath University.
Abontika accused her classmate Rayhan Siddique Amman of sexual harassment and assistant proctor Islam of supporting the abuser before committing suicide on Friday night.
Mahbub uz Zaman, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Lalbagh zone, told New Age on Saturday evening that they took Amman and Din Islam into their custody following the allegation against them.
New Age Cumilla correspondent reported that the victim’s mother, Tahmina Shabnam, filed a case with the Kotwali model police station in the district on Saturday night, accusing the duo of abetting suicide.
Only these two persons were made accused in the case, confirmed Firoz Hossain.
The university authorities suspended the accused assistant proctor and the student and formed a probe committee.
Protesting students on Saturday afternoon gave the university authorities a 24-hour ultimatum to meet their six-point demand, seeking justice, and otherwise, they warned, they would lay siege to the office of the vice-chancellor on Monday.
The demands are - a proper and neutral investigation into the incident, the arrest of the accused student Rayhan Siddique Amman and assistant proctor Din Islam, expelling the two accused from the university, ensuring security for the victim’s family, filing a case by the university authorities, and making the university’s anti-sexual harassment committee effective.
Students of Dhaka University and Jahangirnagar University also protested and demanded justice for Abontika.
Before committing suicide, Abontika, a law department student in the 2017-2018 academic session, posted a status on her Facebook wall, where she brought allegations of sexual harassment against her classmate Amman and accused Din Islam of misbehaving with her and supporting Amman.
In the post, she wrote – ‘If I ever commit suicide, then the only people responsible for my death would be my classmate Amman Siddique and his supporter, the university’s assistant proctor, Din Islam… this is not suicide, this is murder. Technical murder.’
After the news of her suicide spread on JnU campus, students started a demonstration on campus demanding justice for Abontika in the early hours of Saturday and stayed until the morning.
They also blamed the negligence of the university authorities for the incident and alleged that earlier, the authorities did not take any action against incidents like this.
At Dhaka University, the Bangladesh Chhatra Federation brought out a procession and held a rally demanding a trial.
The federation leaders also alleged that repression against students became a common incident and that university authorities were involved in these incidents.
Ganatantrik Chhatra Jot also held a torch procession on the DU campus in the evening, demanding exemplary punishment for the accused.
Students of Jahangirnagar University, under the banner of JU Against Repression, brought out a procession on the campus at night, demanding justice for Abontika.
In the morning, demanding justice, under the banner of the Social and Voluntary Organisation Coalition, a section of people held a rally at Pubali Chattar at Cummila Sadar.
Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, in a statement, demanded a proper and neutral investigation.
New Age Cumilla correspondent reported that Abontika lived with her family – mother and brother – in the city.
Her father, Jamal Uddin, a former professor at Cumilla Government College, died a year ago.
Relatives found her hanging from the fan in the house around 10:00pm on Friday, and she was rushed to Cumilla Sadar Hospital, where she was declared dead.
She was buried next to her father in the Shassongacha area around 3:30pm on Saturday after an autopsy.
United News of Bangladesh reported that Tahmina Shabnam, mother of Abontika, said, ‘If no action is taken against those responsible for my daughter’s death, I will end my life along with my son.’
The university vice-chancellor, Professor Sadeka Halim, came to the campus around 1:00am on Saturday and assured the students of justice within the shortest time.
On Saturday, in four different office orders, the university authorities said that Din Islam had been relieved of his positions as assistant proctor and assistant professor of the management department, Rayhan Siddique Amman had been suspended, and a five-member probe committee was formed to submit a report immediately to the vice-chancellor.
The authorities also urged law enforcement agencies to arrest Amman.
Denying the allegation, assistant proctor Din Islam told different media that this was a conspiracy against him.
Accused student Amman, in a Facebook post on Saturday, also denied the allegations against him.
About the demand of the students, the university proctor, Professor Mohammad Jahangir Hussain, said that the probe committee had been given seven working days to submit a report, and before that, no decision could be taken.
Some students and teachers of the university went to Cummila to meet Abontika’s family on Saturday and pay respect to her.
The university authorities also cancelled today’s rally.-New Age
