CU expels two students as five held over sexual harassment

The authorities of Chattogram University have expelled two students with alleged links to the sexual harassment of a female student -- a decision came at the 34th annual senate meeting of the university on Saturday.

Chittagong University Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Shireen Akhter told the meeting that all the students who were involved in the assault will be expelled.

The expelled students are Md Azim, a second-year history student at the university, and Nurul Afsar Babu, a second-year anthropology student.

At the same time, the university banned six individuals from the campus in connection with the incident that took place on Sunday night.

“We’ve taken disciplinary actions against the two arrestees. We will recommend the National University take measures against the rest of the people as they are from that university,” Proctor Robiul Hasan Bhuiyan.

The meeting brought up several recommendations which will be gradually implemented, he added.

Meanwhile, police arrested a fifth suspect over the incident.

RAB-7 spokesman Mahfuzur Rahman said the youth, identified as Saiful, was detained from the port city's Bahaddarhat area on Saturday. Saiful was not a student of Chattogram University, he added.

Earlier Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) detained four people including Azim and Babu in this connection. 

The rest detainees are Nur Hossain alias Shaon, 22, a first year student of Hathazari Government College, and Masud Rana alias Masud, 22, a second year student of the same college. Both are residents of Hathazari upazila.

During questioning, the detainees have confessed to their guilt, said Rab on Saturday.

On July 17, a female student was physically assaulted by five youths while she was going to the Botanical Garden from Pritilata Hall of the campus with her friend around 10pm.

The goons also captured the incident on video and threatened to make it viral. Later, they fled with the mobile phones and wallets of the two students.

A five-member body was formed to investigate the assault after the female student filed a written complaint to the proctor.

A case was also filed under the Women and Children Repression Act accusing five people.

On July 19, after the university authorities set the time limit for female students to enter the residential hall before 10 pm after the incident students started a movement against the decision.

Since hundreds of CU students have been staging protests, holding human chains every day on the campus demanding justice for the female student who was allegedly harassed.