Home adviser given 24-hour ultimatum to resign

A group of students and young activists under the banner of Bangladesh Against Rape and Repression issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Home Minister Jahangir Alam, demanding his resignation. They warned that if he failed to step down, they would stage a torch procession toward the home ministry on Tuesday evening.

The ultimatum was announced on Monday afternoon during a road march toward the home ministry, which started in front of Shikkha Bhaban in the capital. Adrita Roy, a student of Jahangirnagar University, made the announcement on behalf of the platform.

Alongside the demand for the home minister’s resignation, the protesters presented a nine-point demand. This included effective measures to curb rising incidents of rape, women’s repression, and mugging; ensuring justice in all rape cases; amending the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and other related laws; redefining rape in the 2000 Act to include all forms of penetration regardless of the gender of victims or perpetrators; and removing legal complexities in filing rape cases. They also called for the establishment of independent anti-sexual harassment cells comprising teachers and students in all educational institutions.

Earlier, the Bangladesh Against Rape and Repression movement held a brief rally at the Central Shaheed Minar at around 2:14 pm before beginning their march. As they reached Shikkha Bhaban, they encountered police barriers, which they removed before taking position on the road to issue their ultimatum. Afterward, they returned to the TSC at Dhaka University.