Despite a desperate “women-friendly” rebranding by Islami Chhatra Shibir ahead of the post-July uprising Ducsu elections, Dhaka University students now witness a stark contradiction as the organisation faces a wave of misogyny allegations, shattering its precisely crafted image.
Shibir activists have reportedly harassed, restricted, and humiliated female students, with the latest incident involving its leaders opposing women watching World Cup matches.
In defiance, female students united to protest. After a woman was allegedly harassed at the Shahidullah Hall ground during the Norway-France match, girls gathered en masse at the field to watch the games on Sunday to spectate Argentina-Jordan match.
Despite numerous complaints, the organisation has taken no internal action.
When questioned, Umme Salma, the Shibir-backed Ducsu secretary for common rooms, denied all allegations. She insisted to TIMES of Bangladesh that the campus remains safe and claimed swift action is always taken against any misconduct.
Objection to women watching football
A dispute has erupted at Dhaka University after female students were allegedly harassed while trying to watch a World Cup match on a giant screen.
Muhtasin Billah Emon, a student from the 2018-19 session, reported that despite signing the official registrar to enter the field on Friday night, a group of students pressured them to leave.
Emon said that a female student accompanying them was harassed, with agitators questioning her presence and demanding her immediate departure.
Among the accused is Md Saju Mia, the Hall Union’s Social Services Secretary, elected from the Shibir-backed panel.
While Saju claimed the incident was misrepresented on social media and denied any harassment. He said a girl entering a residential hall at midnight is something no person having common-sense would accept, adding that the woman was simply requested to leave.
He also claimed there was no official permission allowing women into the venue.
However, Hall Provost Md Aminul Islam Bhuiyan explicitly refuted this, telling TIMES that the administration had installed the screen for three halls precisely so both male and female students could watch the matches together without restrictions.
In response to the controversy, a large group of female students gathered at the Shahidullah Hall field on Sunday morning to watch the Argentina–Jordan match in solidarity.
Following the game, they submitted a memorandum to the proctor outlining three core demands.
While Shibir-aligned Ducsu officials said they would support the victim if an official complaint were lodged, progressive groups on the campus maintain that the event highlights systematic attempts to curtail women’s freedom on campus.
The incident has triggered broader political condemnation from other student leaders. Ducsu executive member Hema Chakma, from the Left-backed Pratirodh Parshad, condemned the DUCSU’s silence, noting that the perpetrators appeared close to top DUCSU leadership.
Meanwhile, Seema Akhter, Vice-President of the university unit Bangladesh Chhatra Federation, condemned the incident as part of a broader “politics of control.”
She criticised ongoing efforts to restrict women’s movement after sundown under the guise of security, labelling it an expression of a patriarchal mentality that targets victims instead of controlling criminals.
Public threat of rape
During the DUCSU election campaign, BM Fahmida Alam, a secretarial candidate from the ‘Invincible 71, Indomitable-24’ panel, faced a public threat of mass rape on social media. This followed her filing a High Court writ petition to cancel the candidacy of Shibir-supported GS candidate SM Farhad.
The perpetrator, a sociology student Ali Hussain was said to be linked to Shibir politics. He was subsequently expelled for six months by the administration, though the Shibir-backed panel failed to clarify its stance.
Further controversy emerged when Arman Hossain, the Shibir-backed Ducsu sports secretary, photographed a female student in the gymnasium without permission and posted it online.
Following the elections, female students faced heightened restrictions, including bans from the central playground after evening and patronising “sit with decency” notices in hall guest rooms.
Rupaiya Shrestha Tanchangya, who ran for Ducsu career development secretary, condemned the developments, branding Shibir “inherently misogynistic” and calling their harassment of women a predictable campus pattern.
What was in their election manifesto?
Before the September 2025 Ducsu elections, the Shibir-backed United Students’ Alliance campaigned on building a women-friendly campus and subsequently secured 23 out of 28 posts unopposed.
Their 36-point manifesto promised female students relaxed hall entry restrictions, safe transportation, fewer male staff in women’s halls, and more female proctors.
Critically, they pledged a “zero tolerance” policy against sexual harassment and cyberbullying, alongside a strengthened complaints cell providing legal aid.
However, student leaders argue these promises remain unfulfilled, contrasting sky-high pledges with grounded realities.
Seema Akhtar, a Chhatra Federation leader, said that Ducsu has failed to act against recent harassment and noted a coordinated campaign against women’s rights activists since July.
Israt Jahan Emu of the Biplobi Chhatra Maitree added that while the university administration reconstituted the anti-sexual harassment cell, Ducsu failed to implement it.
Instead, she said they remained silent or even non-cooperative during incidents aimed at restricting female students’ movement.
The frustration extends beyond gender issues, as most manifesto promises remain unaddressed.
Observers note that Shibir leaders are now deflecting accountability, claiming the implementation of these policies falls outside their direct responsibility.
When approached by TIMES to comment on the overall failure to deliver, Ducsu General Secretary and Shibir’s Dhaka University unit President SM Farhad declined to provide immediate answers, stating via an audio message that he was away and would comment at a later date.
