Staff Reporter:
A group of Dhaka University students held a solidarity rally yesterday demanding the abolition of even-ing curfew law which restricts female students to enter and go out from the halls from 10pm to 6am.
The event was held in front of the Raju sculpture of Dhaka University this afternoon under the banner of Oborodhbashini platform. University Teachers’ Network, along with many left-leaning student organiza-tions, feminist organizations have expressed solidarity with their movement.
A group of Dhaka University students have been protesting for the last few days to lift the evening cur-few law from the female halls.
The students had collected consenting signatures from students and submitted memorandums two times to the VC of the university mentioning three demands. Yesterday the students issued a 48-hour ultima-tum regarding the issues, otherwise they would call a strict program.
The demands include abolishing discriminatory evening curfew in female halls (10pm to 6am) immedi-ately and ensuring 24-hour unrestricted movement along with overall security for all female students; allowing female students to enter any female hall upon showing a valid ID card and stay overnight with proper permission; ensuring the rights for all female relatives to enter in the halls.
In yesterday’s solidarity rally, Shirin Haque from Naripakkha, a platform working on women’s rights, said, before 25 to 30 years ago the evening curfew law was executed from 6pm to 6am. “So, we protest-ed that time and then the time was set to 10pm to 6am. We were able to extend the time, but the dis-crimination still continues,” she said.
Expressing solidarity from the University Teachers’ Network, DU Economic department associate pro-fessor Dr. Rushad Faridi said, “this is a very old demand, one that has been raised for many years. There is no doubt that this is a highly discriminatory rule. We have now moved from July into August. Fol-lowing the July uprising of 2024, August marked the beginning of a new independence for us. Yet, even in this new Bangladesh, such a discriminatory and oppressive rule still remains. As teachers, this is deep-ly embarrassing for us.
“If women can return to their homes at 11 p.m., midnight, or even 1 a.m., why can’t they return to campus? What could be a greater example of discrimination than this? Does this mean that we, as uni-versity teachers, are incapable of ensuring the safety of our female students after 10 p.m.? That seems to be the implication, doesn’t it?” he added.
He called for the immediate repeal of the discriminatory rule.
According to the existing rules, DU female students can’t enter or go out from the halls from 10pm to 6am. If needed, they must take late pass permission from the house tutors prior. In an emergency case, the authorities contact the local guardians to let them go out.
