THE decision to cancel the studentship of a gender minority student of a private university raises concern about the exclusionary academic environment and the integrity of the administration. More than a hundred citizens in a statement on August 16 expressed concern and termed the expulsion of Sahara Chowdhury, a transwoman in the Metropolitan University in Sylhet, discriminatory and unjust. According to media reports, as referred to in the statement, the transwoman posted a caricature violently targeting two teachers of Independent University Bangladesh and Manarat University known for their hateful campaigns against gender minority communities. The private university teachers, Mohammad Sorowar Hossain and Asif Mahtab Utsho, filed a general diary saying that received a death threat. Sahara Chowdhury, too, lodged a police complaint, citing threats from the teachers in question. In this context, the university鈥檚 decision to immediately cancel the studentship without giving the accused a chance to defend her position indicates that the disciplinary action was taken without due process. The citizens鈥� allegation that the university has expelled Sahara Chowdhury without giving any specific reason under pressure from organised groups is not wrong.
The university鈥檚 action in this case is suggestive of intolerance towards gender minority groups. Signatories to the statement have also expressed concern about the campaign led by the two teachers against gender-diverse groups in the recent past. In January 2024, Asif Mahtab, then an adjunct faculty member at BRAC University, criticised an excerpt from the Class VII history and social science textbook which discussed the need for respect for and the inclusion of people from gender-diverse communities, specifically those from the hijra community. The government eventually decided to remove the section from the textbook. All this together flags a disturbing development that the teachers who are considered foundational in raising a tolerant and inclusive society are systematically spreading hatred. The social impact of such campaigns is already manifested in growing violence against gender-diverse communities. In June, a hijra suffered an arson attack in Brahmanbaria. Incidents of violence, including physical assault, public stripping and other forms of everyday harassment, have been reported. The community also faces similar harassment when it tries to seek justice as the legal system, too, carries a normative bias.
The education ministry should, therefore, seriously consider the demand of the citizens and look into the allegation that the cancellation of the studentship of the gender minority student was disproportionate to the alleged crime and the decision was made under the influence of an organised group. The government should investigate the allegation that an organised group is running an online and offline hate campaign against gender-diverse communities and bring perpetrators to book.
