Zakir Hossain in Dhaka
A clash erupted between anti-rape protesters and law enforcement near the Bangladesh Secretariat in Dhaka on Monday as demonstrators attempted to breach police barricades, demanding the resignation of the interim government’s home affairs adviser for failing to ensure women’s safety.
The confrontation occurred around 3pm when protesters dismantled barricades and attempted to move forward, prompting police to push them back. No severe injuries were reported, but tensions ran high as protesters later staged a sit-in near Shiksha Bhavan until 4pm.
Earlier in the day, demonstrators under the banner “Bangladesh Against Rape and Oppression” gathered at Central Shaheed Minar, pressing for urgent legal and institutional reforms to combat rising sexual violence. They issued a 24-hour ultimatum for the home adviser’s resignation, warning of intensified actions if he fails to step down.
Protesters demanded immediate and thorough trials for all rape cases nationwide, including those in the hill tracts. They called for a redefinition of rape under existing laws to ensure justice regardless of gender, sexuality, religion, race, nationality, disability, or age. They also insisted on banning rapists from marrying their victims and restricting inquiries into a victim’s past sexual history to closed-door sessions overseen by female judges.
Additionally, the demonstrators called for the establishment of anti-sexual harassment cells in educational institutions and workplaces, a democratically revised High Court guideline on harassment, and gender sensitivity training for law enforcement and judicial officers. They urged authorities to include gender-based violence prevention in school curriculums and demanded the removal of bureaucratic delays in rape case investigations. They also pushed for the creation of special police units to handle such cases and called for a review of the 2011 Witness Protection Act to ensure the safety of survivors and witnesses. The demonstrators warned of escalating protests if the home affairs adviser does not resign.
Meanwhile, the interim government has deployed joint forces for enhanced security patrols in Dhaka and across the country. Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’ press secretary, Shafiqul Alam, announced that patrols would be increased in areas where law and order have deteriorated.
“We will increase patrols as much as possible, and from this evening, you will see patrols across the entire city of Dhaka,” Shafiqul told journalists on Monday afternoon after a meeting in the conference room of the Ministry of Home Affairs at the Secretariat.
He added, “These will be joint patrols. Police, army, and, in some cases, navy and BGB personnel will conduct combined patrolling together.” Checkposts will also be set up at various points to monitor law and order.