A recent viral Facebook post by Shuvroneel Roy, a former activist of the Shomajtantrik Chhatro Front (Dhaka University unit), openly expresses solidarity with the alleged rapists of Sukorna Akter Ipsita, simply because of her past pro-Pakistan stance. His post reads:
“I have no sympathy for the girl who was raped and later died, because she had written, ‘I love Pakistan’, and I have taken the ideology of her lovely Pakistan seriously. B**h, you have been raped, why should I sympathise with you? Now you can call me a dishonest and corrupted person.”
This statement is not just abhorrent, it lays bare a dangerous logic: that survivors of violence must earn their right to justice based on their ideology, politics, or perceived patriotism. That is not justice. That is cruelty disguised as righteousness.
The role of Pakistan in the 1971 genocide and mass rape of Bangladeshi women is undeniable and deeply rooted in our collective history. But no ideological stance, no matter how controversial, justifies rape, violence, or the denial of justice. Sukorna Akter Ipsita, who was allegedly raped and later died after jumping from a launch, was a victim of a violent crime. To use her beliefs to delegitimize her suffering is to echo the very violence we claim to reject.
Bangladesh Feminist Archives unequivocally condemns all forms of victim-blaming. We are appalled that individuals once associated with progressive student organizations are now endorsing such hateful, misogynistic rhetoric.
Justice cannot be reserved for those who align with our beliefs. True justice must be universal. We stand with all survivors of rape and sexual violence, regardless of their politics, religion, gender, or background. Because justice that is selective was never justice to begin with.
Bangladesh Feminist Archives 