DU students protest Jamaat ameer’s controversial post

Bangla Press Desk: A protest rally and a symbolic “broom procession” were held at the University of Dhaka on Sunday in protest against what demonstrators described as a “demeaning” comment about working women posted from the verified X (formerly Twitter) account of Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman.

The protest was organised by the Socialist Students’ Front and took place at the base of the Raju Memorial Sculpture adjacent to the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) at noon.

Following the rally, participants marched through the area holding brooms as a form of symbolic protest.

Addressing the gathering, SSF President Mukta Barai said that the use of women as a political tool against the country’s progress by certain political parties was nothing new.

“History and recent events clearly show that this has been part of their long-standing political approach,” she said.

She further stated that working women must be treated with dignity and respect, and demanded a public apology from those responsible for making derogatory remarks.

“Despite such attempts, women will continue their march forward,” she added.

Former vice president of Dhaka University’s Shamsunnahar Hall Students’ Union, Sheikh Tasnim Afroze Imi, alleged that some political parties were attempting to gain power by humiliating women.

“Since independence, they have failed to carry out any state responsibility successfully, apart from hypocrisy,” she said.

She further accused the party of being involved in activities that undermine the state, adding that instead of learning from the past, they were becoming “more regressive and fascist.”

Writer and researcher Mahtab Uddin, speaking at the rally, said Jamaat had repeatedly misled its supporters through false narratives and staged dramas.

He criticised the party for failing to provide any evidence in support of its claim that the ameer’s X account had been hacked.

“If the account had truly been hacked, the first step would have been to change the password. Instead, what we see is that the password was changed by them later, which exposes the incident as a premeditated drama,” he said.

He further remarked that Jamaat’s allegedly derogatory attitude toward women was a long-standing policy, deeply rooted even at the grassroots level of the organization.

Calling for institutional accountability, he said the Election Commission should conduct a proper investigation into the matter.

“If Jamaat fails to provide proof, the Jamaat ameer must publicly apologise,” he added.

BP/SP