Dhaka University’s female students are pushing for the same basic reforms to restrictive women’s hall curfew rules, but three separate platforms have emerged, divided mainly over the extent of the changes and tactics to pressure the administration.
While many general female students have expressed solidarity with all three campaigns, their leadership largely reflects different political affiliations.
The “Boishommohin Nari Hall Chai” platform has a Chhatra Dal majority, along with two DUCSU leaders — Hema Chakma and Sanjida Ahmed Tonni — and two hall union leaders — Sanjana Chowdhury Ratri and Humaira Uponyas.
The “Nari Hall Songskar Andolon” has a Chhatra Shakti majority, along with DUCSU leaders, Chhatri Sangstha’s Sabikun Nahar Tamanna and Inqilab Manch’s Fatima Tasnim Zuma.
The “Oborodhbashini” platform has a left-leaning majority, with Biplobi Chhatra Moitree’s Israt Jahan Imu and Chhatra Union (faction) AGS Israt Jahan among its leaders.
At the centre of the dispute are three demands: extending or scrapping fixed entry hours at the university’s five women’s halls; allowing legally enrolled non-resident students to access their attached halls; and permitting female relatives of resident students to visit and stay overnight.
The fault line is over how far the curfew should be relaxed.
Boishommohin Nari Hall Chai and Oborodhbashini want the hall gates kept open around the clock.
Nari Hall Songskar Andolon is seeking extended entry hours instead, with students arriving after closing allowed to enter by showing their ID cards and registering their names at the gate.
Students say the existing restrictions have caused particular problems during medical emergencies and when they need care from family members.
A Rokeya Hall student once spent hours trying to get through the gate while seeking emergency treatment for an ear injury.
A Sufia Kamal Hall student said her mother was denied entry when she came to care for her daughter during a fever while she was sitting for final examinations.
“It’s an absurd rule,” she said. “My mother came all this way to take care of me, but no matter how much we pleaded, we couldn’t get her inside.”
The issue has surfaced repeatedly at the university, including protests at Mall Chattar in September 2025 and the Central Field in January 2026.
The latest campaign began on July 27, when Boishommohin Nari Hall Chai submitted a memorandum.
Oborodhbashini followed with graffiti protests at the gates of all five women’s halls on July 31 and later issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the administration.
Chamon Fariya Islam Meghla, a leader of the DU Chhatra Dal committee and a member of Boishommohin Nari Hall Chai, said the three platforms initially organised together before splitting over demands and tactics.
She said Chhatra Shakti and Chhatri Sangstha-affiliated activists did not want the gates kept open beyond midnight, while left-leaning groups wanted to lock the residences of administration officials as a pressure tactic.
Her platform rejected that approach and opted to pursue the demands through formal channels, she said.
Meghla also disputed the description of Boishommohin Nari Hall Chai as “Chhatra Dal-dominated”, saying only two to four of its leaders hold formal party posts, while the others are general students or DUCSU and hall union representatives.
Tanjina Islam, an Oborodhbashini leader affiliated with Chhatra Union, said the differences were substantive.
She said the Chhatri Sangstha-backed platform wanted only an extension of the existing deadline, while Oborodhbashini was demanding unrestricted 24-hour access.
She also alleged that the Chhatra Dal-led platform had engaged in undemocratic practices.
Tanjina said separate platforms could actually make it easier for politically unaffiliated students to participate, as many were reluctant to join a group dominated by politically affiliated activists.
Oborodhbashini’s memorandum carried nearly 1,300 signatures, collected exclusively from female students within a week, she said.
Nusrat Jahan Jerin, a Chhatra Shakti-affiliated leader of Nari Hall Songskar Andolon, said she initially launched the movement and invited all groups to join before they eventually split.
She said 24-hour access was the only fundamental point of disagreement.
Her platform wants the main gates kept open until midnight, followed by an ID-and-signature system for students returning later.
Jerin said the administration repeatedly cites security and coordination with other agencies as reasons for delaying a decision on round-the-clock access.
She described 24-hour access as “a luxury” for now, saying their canvassing found stronger support for extended hours.
The platform’s signature count has risen from around 500 to more than 2,000, she said.
As of early August, Oborodhbashini’s ultimatum had expired, while Nari Hall Songskar Andolon was awaiting a meeting with the vice-chancellor.
For now, the three platforms remain separate despite their overlapping demands, leaving the administration to deal with a movement united on the problem but divided over the solution.