Students and community members of Noakhali's Subarnachar upazila staged a protest on Wednesday, demanding the swift arrest and exemplary punishment of those responsible for the attempted murder of a female student and her family.
Masuma Atiya Jinnat, a ninth-grade student at Shahid Zainal Abedin Government Model High School, was brutally attacked in an ongoing land dispute.
The protest, organized by the school's Student Welfare Association along with Jinnat's family and local residents, took place on the school premises at 12:30 PM Wednesday.
Participants expressed their outrage and called for immediate action, recounting the incident that occurred on November 4, when Jinnat was ambushed on her way home from school.
According to witnesses, the assailants, led by one Saiful Islam and his accomplices, attacked Jinnat and her family with sharp weapons and blunt objects, leaving them severely injured. The police, alerted by a 999 emergency call, rescued the family, who now remain in critical condition.
Speakers at the protest detailed previous attempts on Jinnat's life, asserting that this attack was part of a repeated pattern of violence against the family. Police have so far detained two of the six accused, though the main suspect, Saiful Islam, and several hired attackers remain at large.
Student representatives voiced their concerns over the increasing incidents of student harassment and violence, questioning why young students should suffer due to others' personal disputes. They urged authorities to ensure that such incidents do not become commonplace, emphasizing the need for better protection for students.
Kazi Nazrul Islam, the headteacher of Shahid Zainal Abedin Government Model High School, also addressed the gathering, saying, "Two of the accused have been arrested, but we call upon the authorities to bring the main perpetrator, Saiful Islam, to justice. This heinous act cannot be tolerated, and we strongly condemn it."
