Rehearsals for a play at Bot Tola of Dhaka University were still underway. The clock was nearing 10pm. Dhaka University student Nazifa Tasnim Trisha knew that if she reached her hall gate five minutes past 10pm, she would have to sign a register before being allowed in. But if she was even a minute late after 11pm, she would not be allowed into the hall at all.
After rehearsal, she would start walking – not towards her hall, but across the city towards Uttara, to the home of an acquaintance. Reaching there after 11pm had become part of her regular routine.
Trisha told TIMES of Bangladesh that she still could not understand the logic behind the resrtriction that, in the name of security, forced her to travel across the city and spend the night at someone else’s home.
Dhaka University’s female residential halls impose a restriction barring students from entering between 10pm and 6am, with those returning after 10pm subject to late-entry procedures and students arriving after 11pm not allowed to enter until the gates reopen at 6am. In early 2000s, the deadline for entering the halls was 6pm. Following protests by hall residents, the cut-off time was eventually extended to 10pm.
Trisha’s experience is not unique. It reflects the everyday reality of countless female students at Dhaka University and has now developed into an organised movement.
Students began protesting on 30 July, demanding the abolition of what they call the “sunset law” (or “shandho ain” in Bangla) governing the hours female students are allowed to enter their residential halls. The protest began with wall writings at the gates of women’s residential halls and later expanded through press conferences and various programmes. Within a week, more than 1,400 female students had expressed support for the movement.
The protesters have three main demands: complete abolition of the 10pm entry deadline; allowing female students to enter any residential hall by showing their identity cards; and permitting female relatives, including mothers and sisters, to enter and stay in the halls.
The Oborodhbashini platform alleges that despite regularly paying hall fees, 57 per cent of female students in the country are deprived of residential facilities, while non-residential female students are not allowed to enter the halls to rest or stay overnight.
Mishkatul Mashiyat, an organiser of the movement and member of the Oborodhbashini platform, said the administration’s claim that it is “unsafe” for female students to remain outside after 10pm is merely an excuse to cover up its own failures.
According to her, keeping students locked inside their halls cannot be a solution to security concerns. The administration, she said, must take responsibility for the harassment faced by students who return late after travelling or for other reasons.
A resident student of Samsun Nahar Hall at Dhaka University, Israt Jahan Imu, arrived on campus much earlier than usual while returning from Chattogram. She normally reaches the hall around 6–7am, but as there was no traffic congestion that day, she arrived at the university by 5am. However, the hall gate had not yet opened in accordance with university rules.
Dhaka University Proctor Md Israfil Prang, however, argued that there is no place in the world where harassment or security risks can be completely eliminated. He also argued that no parent would allow their daughter to stay outside after 10pm, saying that although there may be exceptions, they do not represent the majority.
“Legal matters, social realities and culture; all of these must be considered. Should we forget our Bengali and Bangladeshi culture? Should we become Europe?” he said.
Protesters, however, say the administration’s position is increasingly at odds with today’s realities.
Mashiyat said students now have to work late in fields such as journalism, tutoring and various corporate professions. Because of the curfew, she said, female students are either deprived of such opportunities or forced to fall behind in professional competition.
She considers having to sacrifice career opportunities as a condition of living in the halls incompatible with the modern era.
Tania Haque, a professor at the university’s Department of Women and Gender Studies, believes boys and girls should be subject to the same rules. “If lack of security is the main reason, why do the rules apply only to girls? Why keep all doors and windows open for boys while closing them for girls and locking them inside?” she asked.
The debate, however, is not new. At the Raju Sculpture rally, Shirin Parveen Haque, founder member of Nari Pokkho, said they had also protested against curfews in female residential halls 25 to 30 years ago. She said those protests had resulted in the restriction being extended from 6pm to 10pm. “We protested and managed to extend the hours a little, but we could not eliminate the discrimination. Those who are standing up today are speaking directly against this discrimination.”
