A total of 243 prominent citizens have expressed outrage over the death of Dhaka Stream graphic designer Sornomoye Biswas, demanding proper investigation into the incident and accountability for those responsible.

In a joint statement signed by Jahangirnagar University Associate Professor Dr Rezowana Karim Snigdha and poet-journalist Girish Gairik, the citizens called for immediate action against Dhaka Stream's Bangla Content Editor Altaf Shahnewaz, who had been accused of sexual harassment and indecent behaviour by Sornomoye and 26 of her colleagues.

The statement said, "Despite a written and evidence-backed complaint from 26 media workers, Dhaka Stream's Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, Golam Iftekhar Mahmud, took no punitive action against the accused. According to regulations, the accused should have been suspended in such cases, but the institution did not do so."

Citing her colleagues, the statement added that Sornomoye had become mentally broken and depressed after being denied justice.

The signatories stressed that the editor-publisher, and the HR head cannot evade moral and administrative responsibility for their inaction. They demanded that the negligence of the outlet's authorities be investigated, and that workplace harassment prevention policies be strictly enforced across all institutions to ensure women's safety and dignity.

Among the signatories were poet Nirmalendu Goon, lawyer ZI Khan Panna, TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman, educationist Abdul Bayes, Dhaka University professors Dr Zobaida Nasreen, Samina Luthfa, and Dr Kaberi Gayen, Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua, poet Gultekin Khan, writer Nasreen Jahan, actor Kochi Khondokar, and filmmaker Dipankar Dipon, alongside many others.

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