Dhaka University Female Students Protest Curfew Rules and Unequal Access

Female students at Dhaka University have engaged in a month-long protest movement spanning across the campus, organizing under platforms such as 'Oborodhbasini', 'Boishommohin Nari Hol Chai', and 'Nari Hol Sôngskar Andolón'. The core demands of the ongoing demonstrations center on the immediate cancellation of discriminatory curfew rules and the establishment of 24-hour safe access to residential halls for all female scholars.

The root of the grievance lies in the stark disparity between male and female accommodations on campus. Female students residing in the five designated female halls face a strict curfew running from 10 PM to 6 AM every night. In sharp contrast, the 14 male residential halls operate completely free of such time restrictions, creating an environment of unequal treatment that has sparked intense frustration among the student body.

Amplifying these systemic concerns, student Nusayba Ahmed shared her personal experiences regarding the daily challenges posed by the regulations. From the very first day, she noted that male peers are treated simply as students while females are labeled specifically as female students. Having a home located 20 kilometers away without securing an official seat despite holding an attached hall identity card forces her to beg for lodging or face the dangerous prospect of traveling home alone at 11 or 12 at night.

Building momentum throughout the protest period, the demonstrators escalated their actions through a series of structured events. On July 27, the protesting students submitted an official memorandum to Vice-Chancellor Professor ABM Obaidul Islam. This was followed by a formal press conference held at Madhur Canteen on August 3, and subsequently culminated in a solidarity rally accompanied by a 48-hour ultimatum issued to the university authorities on August 10.

In response to the mounting pressure from the student movement, the Provost Standing Committee convened and recommended increasing the curfew time limit by merely another hour on August 17. However, this minor concession was swiftly and firmly rejected by the protesters, who maintained that partial measures are entirely insufficient to address the deep-seated inequities embedded within the university's residential hall policies.