DU female student leaders stage protest demanding discrimination-free campus

Female student leaders at Dhaka University (DU) organised a programme titled ‘Burn the Administration & BBQ Evening’ on Sunday evening, demanding a safe and discrimination-free campus for women.

The protest follows recent reports of female students being barred from entering the central playground after evening hours.

The event took place at the university’s central playground and was led by DUCSU executive member Hema Chakma, research and publication secretary Sanjida Ahmed Tanvi, and Shamsunnahar Hall vice-president Kaniz Kurratul Ain, among others.

Speaking to reporters, Hema Chakma criticised the administration for imposing a de facto curfew on female students at the central playground after 10:00pm for over a year under the pretext of preventing indecency.

She said male students can move freely, highlighting what she called administrative double standards.

Hema added that the restriction lacks any written policy or legal basis and amounts to structural discrimination, curbing women’s freedom under the guise of security.

Alongside the protest, DUCSU women leaders submitted a memorandum to the university’s proctor, listing five demands:

1. End all harassment and discriminatory restrictions imposed on women under the pretext of safety.

2. Renovate non-functional women’s toilets in the TSC and ensure adequate, safe, and usable toilets campus-wide.

3. Allow all legitimate female students, including non-residential and inter-hall residents, access to any hall upon ID verification.

4. Restructure and make the university’s Sexual Harassment Prevention Cell fully operational.

5. Permit mothers and sisters of residential female students to enter halls with proper ID and application.

Hema Chakma said the women’s leadership will continue holding the administration accountable until the discriminatory restrictions are removed, emphasising that freedom and safety for women are essential for a truly liberal and equitable university.