At least eight protesters were injured as miscreants swooped on the long march, organised against the rising incidents of rape, and repression of women and children across the country, in Feni town on Saturday noon.

Pankaj Devnath Surjo, general secretary of Chhatra Federation Feni unit, said a group of miscreants attacked the long march activists when they were going to DC office at around 11:30am, leaving 8 people injured.

Earlier, the protesters took part in a meeting held on Shaheed Minar premises in Feni.

Around 400 demonstrators started their long-march programme from Dhaka to Noakhali’s Begumganj upazila on Friday.

The protesters including left-leaning parties, students, youths and rights activists, started their long march under the banner of "Dhorshon O Bicharhinotar Biruddhe Bangladesh" (Bangladesh against rape and impunity) to press home nine-point demand.

They marched towards Noakhali chanting anti-rape slogans.

Their nine-point demands include ensuring exemplary punishment of the perpetrators involved in rape and violence against women, resignation of the home minister and an end to repression of women.

Protests against rape and violence against women erupted across the country since the beginning of October, following the recent incidents of gang rape in Sylhet's MC College and in Noakhali's Begumganj upazila.

In the wake of widespread protests against the growing incidents of rape, President Md Abdul Hamid on October 13 issued an ordinance on the amendment of Nari O Shishu Nirjaton Daman Ain (Women and Children Repression Prevention Act), incorporating the provision of capital punishment for rape.

BDST: 1417 HRS, OCT 17, 2020
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