Female students at Dhaka University have alleged that they are being barred from entering the Central Field after evening hours based on verbal instructions, despite the absence of any written policy.
It has prompted accusations of gender-based discrimination and a planned protest by Ducsu.
The controversy surfaced after a female student was stopped at the Central Field gate last week and told that women are not allowed to enter the premises after 5pm—a restriction that does not apply to male students.
On Thursday, a DU Student named Fareha Tul Farah wrote on Facebook that she was prevented from entering the field in the evening by university staff, who claimed the restriction was jointly decided by the Dhaka University administration and the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu).
“I was told at the gate that female students cannot enter the Central Field after 5pm. Everyone else can, but women cannot,” she wrote.
However, university authorities and Ducsu representatives have denied that any such policy exists.
When contacted, Acting Director of the Physical Education Centre SM Zakaria told Dhaka Tribune that no decision has been taken to restrict female students’ access to the Central Field after evening.
“There is no such instruction from the administration,” he said, adding that the university is considering arrangements—such as the presence of female teachers—to ensure women can play in the evening.
Ducsu denies decision, alleges discrimination
Hema Chakma, a central executive member of Ducsu, also rejected claims that the student union approved any restriction.
“Not allowing female students to enter the Central Field after five in the evening is not Ducsu’s decision—no, no, and no,” she wrote on Facebook. “Ducsu’s responsibility is to ensure access, not restrict it.”
Speaking to Dhaka Tribune on Sunday, Hema Chakma said the incident reflects a broader pattern of unwritten, gendered controls imposed without accountability.
She announced plans to organize a symbolic protest, either a game or a barbecue at the Central Field in the evening, extending until 10 or 11pm, to challenge the alleged curfew.
“We will also formally demand a written clarification from the administration on what female students are allowed or not allowed to do after evening hours,” she said.
Pattern of verbal enforcement
Students argue that the Central Field incident is not an isolated case, but part of a wider culture in which female students face restrictions enforced verbally rather than through documented rules, leaving them vulnerable to arbitrary policing.
While authorities deny issuing formal bans, students say enforcement on the ground often tells a different story, with guards and staff citing “orders from above” that cannot be verified.
The debate also comes months after Dhaka University observed “Women Student Day” on July 14 last year, when female students were allowed to remain outside dormitories after 10pm for one night, in recognition of women’s role in the July uprising.
Rather than celebrating, many students protested the move, calling it tokenism that failed to address everyday restrictions on women’s movement across campus.
