A case has been filed with Dumki Police Station against local youths accused of assaulting two students of Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU), harassing a female student and taking money from them near the campus.
The female student who was allegedly harassed filed the case as the plaintiff. Five people have been named as accused, while several others have been kept unnamed.
According to the case statement, the incident occurred at around 6:30pm on September 22. A second-semester female student of PSTU was travelling in an auto-rickshaw with a male classmate for a ride. As the vehicle passed through a rural road in Talukdar Bari under Ward No. 2 of Sreerampur, several youths stopped them near a madrasa.
The youths allegedly asked the students about their identities and questioned why a male and female student were travelling together. The students said they were from the university and had gone out for a ride in the area. The auto-rickshaw driver also reportedly spoke in their favour.
The accused then allegedly assaulted the male student, dragged him away and took Tk5,500 from him. They also allegedly searched the female student’s vanity bag and took Tk1,600.
The case statement further alleges that one of the accused entered the auto-rickshaw and touched the female student inappropriately. She screamed for help, prompting local residents to rush to the scene.
A scuffle subsequently broke out between the two sides. The accused later fled as more people gathered at the scene.
Following the incident, the two students went to Dumki Police Station and informed police about the matter. According to the case statement, police prepared a list of suspects and later identified them using photographs.
The female student subsequently submitted a written complaint with the approval of the university’s proctor and vice-chancellor.
The accused named in the case are Rifat Mridha, Hasan Talukdar, Mahin Talukdar, Zahid Hawladar and Rafiq Talukdar. Several others have also been accused without being named.
The case was filed under Sections 10 and 30 of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2000, and Sections 341, 323, 379 and 506 of the Penal Code.
Dumki Police Station Officer-in-Charge Selim Uddin said the victims went to the police station immediately after the incident and lodged a complaint. Police prepared a list of suspects and identified the accused through photographs, he said.
“With the approval of the university authorities, the female student filed the case. Five people have been named as accused, and efforts are underway to arrest them,” he said.
He said the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act was invoked over the allegation of inappropriate touching with the intention of sexual harassment, while relevant sections of the Penal Code were applied over the allegations of assault and taking money.
The accused have reportedly gone into hiding since the incident.
PSTU Proctor Professor Abul Bashar Khan said the university took administrative action as soon as the matter came to its attention.
“Some unruly youths from the area are involved in the incident. The university administration will take appropriate measures to ensure punishment,” he said.
He added that the university wanted to maintain good relations with the surrounding community while ensuring the safety of its students.
