Following the death of Professor Mahfuza Khanam on August 12, several Bangladeshi media outlets reported that she was the first and only female vice president (VP) of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU). However, a fact-check by Dismislab has confirmed that the claim is inaccurate.
Archival newspapers and records show that Begum Jahanara Akhter was elected DUCSU VP in the 1960–61 academic session, making her the first woman to hold the post. Mahfuza Khanam was later elected in the 1967–68 session. Dismislab also noted that claims of DUCSU having only one female VP in its history are incorrect.
The fact-check cites The Pakistan Observer of February 18, 1961, which published a photo of Jahanara delivering her inaugural speech as DUCSU VP. Reports in The Daily Azad, The Morning News, and The Daily Sangbad from February 1961 also confirm her election, describing it as the first time a female student held the VP position. DUCSU’s own archival plaque at Dhaka University similarly lists Jahanara’s name under the 1960–61 session.
Mahfuza Khanam, who went on to have a distinguished career as an academic and educationist, was indeed among the very few women to have held the DUCSU VP position, but not the first or the only one.
Source: Prothom Alo
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