Friday’s Dhaka University protest by DUCSU marked a defiant escalation in Bangladesh’s fight for rape survivors’ rights, with students parading from Central Mosque to Raju Sculpture, issuing ultimatums to leaders amid soaring violence. Targeting Narsingdi cases, the rally demanded nationwide reckoning or faced ‘massive’ backlash.
Chants pierced the air: ‘Empower women, or power’s gone,’ ‘Safeguard women or step aside,’ ‘Tarique Rahman, eradicate rapes,’ ‘No rapists in our Bengal paradise,’ ‘Nation bleeds red, PM serene,’ ‘Justice denied: Ayesha through Nandini.’ The fervor built a chorus of urgency.
General Secretary SM Farhad confronted PM Rahman head-on: ‘Clamp down on rapists and extortionists or forfeit rule.’ He slammed BNP for protecting culprits, vowing campus sparks would blaze into street infernos. ‘We’ll assemble students and public countrywide against rape cabals,’ he asserted.
Numbers tell a tragic tale—181,737 police cases in 2025, headlined by women and child abuses. Last year: 21,936 violence counts, trailed by thefts, murders, robberies. Yunus’s 18-month interim stint post-Awami League has been marred by lawlessness spikes.
As analysts probe systemic lapses, student resolve hardens. This isn’t mere demonstration; it’s a clarion call amid transitional turmoil. Leaders ignore at peril—justice delayed risks a powder keg. Bangladesh must confront its demons, or watch youth forge change through chaos.