21 women right activists demand judicial inquiry

DU Correspondent :
Twenty one women rights activists of the country have demanded a judicial inquiry into the recent allegations of sexual exploitation and torture against leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) Eden Mohila College unit.
They made the demand to find out the truth about it, they said in a statement that issued on Monday.
The BCL leaders are allegedly torturing their juniors and classmates both physically and mentally. Even the BCL leaders allegedly forced them to have sexual relationships with party leaders or businessmen in favour of getting political career, the stamen said.
“Sometimes they also threatened to take offensive pictures and make it ‘viral’ and throwing them out of the hostel under the banner of ‘Chhatra Shibir’, when someone failed to obey their direction,” according to their statement.
The women activists have also sought exemplary punishment for those involved in forcing students into sexual relationships under the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act, 2012.
The activists also expressed deep concerns over the silence of the government and Education Minister in this regard and demanded the formation of a judicial committee to enquire into these allegations brought against Eden College BCL leaders.
It also demanded exemplary punishment for the responsible leaders under section 11 of the Human Trafficking Act, if the allegation is proved.
“We have seen an unwritten agreement between the ruling party and its student body for decades. The leaders and activists of their student bodies act as local armed forces physically and ideologically maintaining the ruling party’s power,” they said in the statement.
The rights activists also mention the return of the miscreants activists and said, “They will gather a mountain of wealth through seat-trading, tendering and extortion while being a student which is not possible to achieve in a legitimate way.”
Criticizing the silence of institution’s administration, they said, “The principle or Vice-Chancellor’ position will have secured through a deal to create an environment to do those illegal activists.”
” BCL leaders of Eden College have added a new horror dimension to make money and leadership profiles heavier by sexually exploiting female students in the reign of their illegal activities,” they added.
The signatories of the statement are DU Prof Dr Gitiara Nasreen, JU Prof Dr Mirza Taslima Sultana, Chakma Circle Advisor Rani Yan Yan, Jawaharlal Nehru University PhD Researcher Nazneen Shifa, writer and researcher Parsa Sanjana Sajid, DU associate Prof Kajalie Shehreen Islam, human rights activist Rozina Begum, anthropologist and researcher Dr Nasreen Khandakar, DU Associate Prof Dr SaminaLuthfa, researcher and activist Dilshana Parul, anthropologist and filmmaker Dr Nasreen Siraj, labour leader Taslima Akhtar, teacher and PhD scholar Shyamoli Shil, teacher and women leader Laila Parveen, Jahangirnagar University College teacher Shilpi Barua, photographer Jannatul Mawa, writer and researcher Sayema Khatun, researcher Sadaf Noor, PhD scholar Hana Shams Ahmed, writer and anthropologist Rahnuma Ahmed, and journalist and researcher Dr Saydia Gulrukh.
 Those misdeeds of extortion, seat-trading and forcing female students to commit immoral acts against the Chhatra League Eden Mohila College unit came to light due to the internal conflict of the student body.
The two groups of the BCL unit involved in clashes on September 24 to 25 and then the rebel group of its says that their leaders are involved in these crimes.
Later, BCL has suspended all activities of its Eden Mohila College unit committee and expelled 16 leaders and activists from the organisation for violating the rules after the infightings.