No form of physical or mental torture can be tolerated in educational institutions: NHRC chairman
There is no place for any kind of physical or mental torture in educational institutions, The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman Dr Kamal Uddin Ahmed said today (16 March).
In a press statement, expressing shock at the suicide of a female student of Jagannath University (JnU), Kamal Uddin said, "It is necessary to properly investigate the incident of suicide and ensure exemplary punishment for the instigators."
He further said, "We are concerned about the recent incidents of moral degradation, including harassment of female students in educational institutions. Strong measures need to be taken in this regard.
"The commission calls upon the concerned ministries and the government to expeditiously finalise and implement the draft law on prevention of sexual harassment," he added.
On Friday (15 March), Fairuz Abontika, a student of the 2017-18 academic year of JnU Law Department, died by suicide after posting on Facebook.
The post appeared around 10 pm, afterwards her body was found and sent to the Cumilla General Hospital, where she was declared dead.
In the Facebook post, Abontika mentioned that her classmate Amman Siddique and assistant proctor Din Islam would be responsible for her suicide.
In this regard, the university administration has formed a four-member probe committee.