DU female students demand end to hall curfew, seek 24-hour access

A platform of female students at Dhaka University has submitted a memorandum to the university's vice-chancellor demanding the abolition of the longstanding curfew in women's residential halls and round-the-clock access for students.

The platform named "Boishomyoheen Nari Hall Chai" handed over the memorandum to Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr ABM Obaidul Islam today (27 July).

The memorandum also called for unrestricted entry for students with valid university identification cards and permission for female family members to accompany students to their rooms.

Representatives of the platform submitted the memorandum at the vice-chancellor's office.

Leaders of the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu), hall representatives and female leaders from various student organisations attended the meeting.

Speaking to The Business Standard after the meeting, Sufia Kamal Hall Vice-President Sanjana Chowdhury Ratri said the vice-chancellor had listened to their demands sympathetically.

"We met the vice-chancellor around 12:30pm and presented our demands. He was sincere about the issues. However, we will continue our movement. From tomorrow, we will launch a public opinion campaign in support of our demands," she said.

Currently, female students are generally required to enter their residential halls by 10pm.

Some halls allow entry until 10:30pm with permission from floor teachers, while others have separate late-entry arrangements under specific conditions.

At Shamsunnahar Hall, students may enter until midnight after showing their hall ID card and providing a reason, while Sufia Kamal Hall allows late entry through a designated late-pass system.

The platform argues that these restrictions are discriminatory and has called for equal and unrestricted access to women's residential halls.