The High Court on Tuesday directed the police authorities to take prompt action against eight people who were identified by the police through video footages for molesting women during their Pahela Baishakh celebration on the Dhaka University campus.
A bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman also directed the police to publish photographs of the eight suspected perpetrators in the media to expose them to the public and set May 28 for passing further order on the issue.
The bench issued the directive after the inspector of police, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner in separate reports said that the police were trying to arrest the perpetrators and declared bounty each for information over whereabouts of them.
The police submitted the reports to the court as it in a suo moto order issued on April 16 directed the IGP, DMP and the Dhaka University’s vice chancellor to inform to it on May 17 about actions taken against the people who disrobed and molested women on the DU precinct.
DU vice-chancellor, however, did not submit any compliance report.
The report of the DMP commissioner and inspector general of police made almost similar statements about the progress of investigation into the incident stating that police were trying to record statements of the victims after their identification and to collect evidence and to arrest the perpetrators.
Detective Branch report stated that DB was trying to trace the victims and to record statements. Subinsector Dipak Kumar Das was assigned to investigate the case under the Women and Children Repression (Prevention) act for sexual harassment of the women and the case was being investigated under the supervisor of the higher authority.
DB said it recorded statement of several eye witnesses, including DU student Liton Nandi and trying to arrest the perpetrators.
Source: New Age
