Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has strongly denounced Sunday’s police action near Officers’ Club in Dhaka against the protesters of assaults on women on Pahela Baishakh on Dhaka University campus.

In a statement on Sunday night, the party said, ‘Incidents like assault on women in an independent and civilised country is very shameful. Such incidents have repeatedly taken place in different sectors, including educational institutions.’

It further said, ‘We got stunned the way the protesters of a progressive student organisation were attacked by police as they tried to register their protest against assaults on women.’

On Sunday, about a hundred activists of Bangladesh Chhatra Union came under police attack near Officers’ Club on Shaheed Captain Mansur Ali Sarani as they tried to lay a siege to the DMP headquarters in protest against sexual harassments of women on the Dhaka University campus on 14 April.

They were beaten up with truncheons, helmets and rifle butts while some, including female protesters, were kicked and knocked to the ground.

Though people have the right to register their protest in a democratic system, raising voice against any unjust has become very risky in the country, the BNP statement said adding that it is contrary to the spirit of the Independence War.

The party also termed the law enforcers’ torture on students very unfortunate.

‘We denounce it’ said the statement.