According to the recently discussed rape attempt incident in Jahangirnagar University, University Proctor Professor Rashidul Alam has been accused of insensitive behavior with the victim student. The allegations have sparked outrage among students on campus and a movement has started demanding the proctor’s resignation.
Complainants claim that when the victim’s scream was heard on the screen during the review of the CCTV footage of the incident on the 12th night, Proctor Rashidul Alam laughed and said, “See how good the sound can be heard on our cameras!” The students who were present at such comments expressed surprise and anger.Furthermore, it is alleged, after the incident, the victim was made to sit for about three hours to talk about various legal complications, which further traumatized him. According to the protesting students, in such a situation, the responsibility of the administration was to provide assistance and security to the victim, but in reality the opposite has been done.
Further complaints of the students, when the protest started demanding the resignation of the proctor, he called the protesting students as ‘fascists’. It is also being claimed that the related video footage has spread on social media.
Note that Professor Rashidul Alam was appointed as the Proctor of the University in September 2024 during the Interim Government.
The incident has sparked fresh discussions on campus women’s safety, administration accountability and the effectiveness of victim support systems. Students say that responsible and humane behavior of the administration is very important in sensitive cases like rape and sexual violence.
The official statement of the university administration is not available yet.
