A Facebook post by a newly elected executive member of the Chittagong University Central Students' Union (Cucsu) sparked outrage on campus last night, with many announcing they would refuse to take the oath in his presence at the ceremony.
Akash Das was elected as an executive member from a Shibir-backed panel in the recently held Cucsu election.
Referring to a recent rape allegation against a Buet student, Akash wrote in his post, "If the boy is 70 percent at fault in a rape case, the girl is 30 percent responsible too."
Following the post, many students of the university brought out protest processions on the campus, which prompted Akash to apologise through another Facebook post, expressing regret for his earlier comment.
In his original post, he also wrote, "One cannot blame anyone single-handedly."
He claimed that in many cases, girls "use rape allegations as a shield to trap boys", and suggested that the Buet case should also be investigated to verify whether that was the situation.
His remarks drew strong criticism not only from students but also from several newly elected Cucsu members and representatives of hall unions.
The oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected Cucsu and hall representatives is scheduled to be held at 11:30am today.
However, several elected representatives have announced that they will boycott the event if Akash Dash attends.
Nurunabi Hasan, newly elected general secretary of Alaol Hall from JCD-backed panel, wrote on Facebook, "If I have to take oath in the Social Science Auditorium alongside a person with such a perverted mindset as Akash Dash, I will refuse to do so."
Similarly, Imtiaz Zaved, newly elected assistant general secretary of Shahjalal Hall who is also from JCD-supported panel, wrote, "Some people are boasting about vote banks, as if votes define one's worth. I was elected with the highest votes in Shahjalal Hall's history, and I want to say clearly if I have to take oath alongside a person with such a twisted mentality as Akash Dash, I will reject that oath."
Jannatul Adan Nusrat, assistant office secretary of the Shibir-backed panel of Cucsu, said, "I will attend the Social Science Auditorium tomorrow (today), but I will not take the oath alongside Akash Dash. My stance reflects the legitimate demands of my fellow students."
Several members of the Shibir-backed panel also submitted a written complaint to the university's proctorial body, condemning Akash's remarks and demanding appropriate action against him.
When contacted, Akash said, "I never imagined my comment would create such a big controversy. I did not intend to be biased. In the same post, I also called for punishment for rapists. Nonetheless, I regret what happened and apologise for it."