Students at Chittagong University have alleged that female residential students were threatened that their seats would be cancelled for returning to their halls later than the prescribed hour, prompting a wave of protest on the social media.
The incident reportedly took place on Thursday night when assistant proctor Nazmul Hossain allegedly confronted several students near the university鈥檚 鈥楯uly Biplob Udyan鈥� and 鈥楲adies Jhupri鈥� area.
Witnesses said that assistant proctor Nazmul Hossain got off from his official vehicle and ordered female students to leave the area, warning them that anyone returning to the dormitory even a minute after 10:00pm would have their seats cancelled.
One eyewitness told 抖阴精品, 鈥業 was heading to my dorm via Biplob Udyan from the Ladies Jhupri area on the campus. The proctorial team stopped and loudly instructed that all female students must return to the dorms by 10:00pm sharp. They forcibly dispersed the girls sitting at July Biplob Udyan.鈥�
The alleged directive sparked outrage on the social media, with students condemning the action as arbitrary, discriminatory and misogynistic.
Sumaiya Shikder, a third-year marketing student and a former coordinator of the Student Against Discrimination Movement on the campus, said, 鈥楴ot long ago, we staged a sit-in at the Shaheed Minar to protest at a similar curfew-like rule at Pritilata Hall. The administration seems to be repeating the same authoritarian behaviour.鈥�
She added, 鈥榃hy should such restrictions apply only to women in a free country? This is clearly misogynistic. We鈥檝e seen this administration engage in such behaviour beforehand. If they continue with this authoritarian attitude, we will build strong resistance.鈥�
聽鈥業mposing a curfew-like restriction on female students is insulting. In common understanding, curfews are enforced only by the state during emergencies, not by university authorities. Prohibiting girls from returning to their halls after 10:00pm, while no such rule applies for male students, is clearly discriminatory,鈥� said another student, Jannatul Ferdous Oishi, from the Institute of Fine Arts.
She further said, 鈥楳any students do private tuition or work part-time in the city after classes. This kind of directive completely ignores their reality. The university should focus on ensuring safety, not enforcing punitive policies.鈥�
Responding, university proctor Professor Dr Tanvir Mohammad Hayder Arif confirmed that no official directive was issued yet regarding strict hall entry times.
鈥楾he assistant proctor was referring to specific 鈥渦nsafe鈥� areas like dark, secluded zones where drug taking have been detected. We recently seized a significant amount of cannabis from individuals on the campus. So, the concern is about students鈥� safety in those areas during late hours.鈥�
Saying that they had no problem with students staying in well-lit, active areas like the library, Shaheed Minar, or Zero Point, where group discussions or studying occur, he stated, 鈥楨ven if someone sits in front of the dorm all night, we don鈥檛 interfere. The guidance was specifically about avoiding isolated areas at night.鈥�
The proctor further said that if anyone wished to return to the dormitory after 10:00pm, the assistant proctor suggested that prior permission should be taken from the hall authorities.
