A group of students staged a protest, including the burning of an effigy, against what they described as “defamatory” remarks and false allegations made by a Jamaat leader targeting Dhaka University and its female students.
The protest was held on Sunday at around 7 pm in front of the Raju Sculpture on the
Quniversity campus. DUCSU Rarch Secretary Sanjida Ahmed Tonni, member Hema Chakma, leaders of various hall student unions, and leaders from Chhatra Dal, Chhatra Shakti, Socialist Students’ Front, and Revolutionary Students’ Unity were present. The protesters demanded that the Jamaat leader withdraw his comments and issue a public apology.
Earlier, on Saturday night, during an election campaign, Barguna District Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary Shamim Ahsan reportedly said, “We have seen that after the DUCSU election, DUCSU had become a den of drugs and a brothel, which Islami Chhatra Shibir has been able to change. Therefore, Jamaat-e-Islami is capable of eradicating all forms of injustice, extortion, and corruption from Bangladesh.”
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In protest against these remarks, students chanted slogans, burned an effigy and later went to the university’s Proctor’s Office to demand justice.
DUCSU member Hema Chakma questioned how a political leader could make such comments so openly at an election rally. “Is this what we still have to witness in 2026?” she said. “We, as women, are now sufficiently aware of our rights, our economic freedom, and our social liberation. We are those women who want to raise their voices, especially those who have come to Dhaka University from remote areas.”
She added, “If I myself had not been admitted here, I might not have been able to stand here and speak today. If DUCSU, which represents all of us, is labeled as a hub of drugs and a brothel, is this the kind of Bangladesh we want? Absolutely not.”
Hema Chakma also alleged that female students at Dhaka University face various forms of harassment. “Women are restricted from going to the Mol Chattar area after 10 pm. Administrative barriers are imposed. Entry to the Central Field is restricted after 5 pm, and various allegations are made. Even after showing ID cards, students are harassed. Our position has always been against such harassment,” she said.
Another student leader, Monowar Hossain Pranto, said, “The organization Jamaat-e-Islami, which carried out killings, oppression, and devastation against our mothers and sisters in 1971 and tried to crush our aspiration for independence, is an anti-liberation force. We do not expect anything better from them. They were our enemies in 1971, and they continue to be our enemies in 2024 and 2025.”
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Meanwhile, the university administration has also strongly condemned the statement. In an official press release, Dhaka University authorities said they had drawn attention to the remarks made by Barguna District Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Md. Shamim Ahsan regarding the DUCSU building. “The university administration strongly condemns and protests this obscene, vulgar, indecent, and reckless statement. Such remarks have severely damaged the dignity, reputation, tradition, and honor of Dhaka University. The university authorities are calling for the immediate withdrawal of the statement and urge everyone to refrain from making such irresponsible comments,” the statement added.