The festivity surrounding the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election on 9 September has been marred by social media smear campaigns, with female candidates becoming the primary targets.
Candidates said they are being tagged, body-shamed, bullied, and subjected to rumours, offensive remarks and relentless propaganda. Cyberattacks have also been reported on personal profiles and organisational pages, reports UNB.
Independent candidate for Common Room, Reading Room and Cafeteria Secretary Jeysan Bakul Ria (Jerry) said rivals’ supporters unleashed abusive comments on her clothes and hair length. “We need to have some respect. We must not let go of our sense of courtesy and decency,” she said.
Vice-presidential aspirant from Kobi Sufia Kamal Hall Maisha Maliha said such attacks are designed to suppress women. “Character assassination, body shaming and bullying constitute the crime that women of this country have battled for a long time,” she said.
Former Anti-Discrimination Student Movement spokesperson Umama Fatema, the first to announce candidacy, alleged distortion of her statements in the media alongside offensive posts and body-shaming comments. “Women are always an easy target — inside or outside politics. They are enduring continuous propaganda, cyberbullying and offensive tagging,” she said.
Male candidates also complained of harassment. Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) vice-presidential candidate Abidul Islam rejected claims that he had links to Shibir, accusing rivals of spreading propaganda. Numan Ahmad Chowdhury, contesting for Liberation War and Democratic Movement Affairs Secretary, said he lost access to his Facebook profile due to a bot army attack.
From Shibir’s panel, VP candidate Md Abu Shadik (Kayem) claimed four of their female contenders were also facing online abuse.
The DUCSU election commission has primarily cleared 462 candidates, including 60 women. Of the nine panels, five are led by women, with two women vying for Vice President, one for General Secretary, and two for Assistant General Secretary.
Chief Returning Officer Professor Mohammad Jasim Uddin said the commission was in touch with the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission to address the cyber threats.