Female students of Dhaka University (DU) organized a protest titled “Burn the Administration Barbecue” at the central playground on Sunday evening, demanding an end to discrimination and the assurance of safety for women students. The symbolic program was held to protest what students described as ongoing harassment and restrictions imposed in the name of “security.”
At a press conference during the protest, DUCSU Executive Member Hema Chakma alleged that for over a year, female students have been barred from entering the central playground after evening hours and are often forced to leave various campus areas, including the Mall area, after 10 pm. She said these restrictions have no written policy, public notice, or legal basis and are being enforced arbitrarily. “Questioning, interrogation, and harassment have become routine for women students in the name of security,” she said.
Chakma pointed out that male students continue to move, stay, and socialize freely in the same spaces at the same times, exposing a clear double standard. She described the restrictions as structural discrimination, stating that limiting women’s freedom of movement under the pretext of protection only deepens inequality. The students said they would continue to demand accountability until a women-friendly campus is ensured.
The protesters placed five demands before the administration: an immediate end to discriminatory restrictions and harassment; urgent renovation of dysfunctional toilets at TSC and adequate sanitation facilities for women across campus; unrestricted access to women’s halls for all female students with valid IDs; immediate restructuring and activation of the anti-sexual harassment cell; and allowing mothers and sisters of resident students to enter halls with proper identification. As part of the protest, students barbecued and shared food, saying the action symbolized breaking the barriers imposed on women.
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