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Published : 28 Jun 2026, 04:22 PM
Six former students of Dhaka University's Dr Muhammad Shahidullah Hall have alleged that they were harassed by a hall council leader while watching a World Cup match on a big screen on the campus.
Muhtasin Billah Emon, a student of the 2018-19 academic year, wrote on Facebook that they were thrown out of the hall on Friday night when they went to watch the match between France and Norway because a former female student of the university had accompanied them.
Muhtasin’s main allegation was against Saju Mia, the social services secretary of the hall student council, who is involved with the Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami.
Saju admitted that he asked the former students to leave the hall. However, he denied “harassing women”.
The incident has sparked anger among students at the university, with members of the Sufia Kamal Hall Council, Chhatra Dal and Biplobi Chhatra Maitree staging protests and demanding punishment for those involved.
Complainant Muhtasin made a Facebook post titled “Are we DU students safe from mobsters on the DU campus?” following the incident.
He said, “We entered Shahidullah Hall after registering our names in the hall’s registrar’s book as per the rules. We sat there before the game, and were chatting as we had come to the campus after a long time.
“Suddenly, four students came and asked us, ‘Are you students of the campus?’ We calmly said, ‘Yes, we are from the 16-17, 17-18 and 18-19 sessions. We came to watch the France and Norway game.”
Emon said, “Suddenly, one of them said, ‘Why are you bringing a girl to watch the game in the boys’ hall?’ We remained calm and said, ‘Brother, we are seniors of your campus, we came here to watch the World Cup games in 2022 as well’.
“The one who was with us from Shahidullah Hall said, ‘The sister who is with us is also from the campus. And her younger brother is a student residing in your hall in the 2022-23 session’.”
Emon alleges that a group of eight or nine people then surrounded the four of them and “tried to pressure” them.
He said, “In the middle of this, one of them introduced himself as the social services secretary of this hall. Later, I found out his name was Saju. Another boy who introduced himself as the sports secretary of the hall council started saying, ‘Brother, would it be good if the boys from the hall took your picture and posted it in the hall group and abused you?’
“I tried to tell them - why should we be afraid of someone taking our picture? And if someone abuses us there for no reason, shouldn’t they take action as representatives of the hall council?”
Alleging that he was threatened for having a “girl” with him while coming to watch the game, Emon wrote, "Suddenly, a boy named Saju loudly and very aggressively said, 'I don't think we need to explain any further. You must get up and leave now. You can't stay here with a girl’."
"Then Shaon Bhai got up and said, 'Bhai, the one you are calling a girl is my wife. Would you kindly introduce yourself? We also want to know who is throwing us out. Then two to three other boys next to him started talking, saying: 'Bhai, we are the organisers of this programme. There’s a lot for us to handle’."
Emon wrote, "We want justice for the harassment we faced. We want an end to the kind of bullying that is happening across the campus during a festival like the World Cup. That girls as well as boys can watch the game safely on campus should be ensured."
Asked about the harassment allegations, Saju told bdnews24.com, “We politely asked them to leave, but, instead, they got angry with us. We did not say anything about the girl.”
Miftahul Maruf, the media and publicity secretary of the Dhaka University branch of the Islami Chhatra Shibir, also denied the harassment allegations.
He told bdnews24.com, “There was an argument between seniors and juniors. No women were harassed here. The anti-Shibir alliance is framing the situation and trying to make an incident out of it.”
When asked whether the hall council had taken any action over the incident, General Secretary Taukir Hasan said, “The hall council has yet to receive a written complaint. Therefore, the hall council has not taken any action. Action will be taken when it receives a written complaint.
Shahidullah Hall Provost Prof Aminul Islam Bhuiyan was called several times for comment on the matter, but he did not pick up the phone.
Meanwhile, a group of students from the university's Sufia Kamal Hall took up positions on the Shahidullah Hall playground during the Argentina match on Sunday morning to protest the incident.
Sanjana Chowdhury Ratri, vice president of the Sufia Kamal hall council, said: "I submitted a memorandum to the proctor to take action to prevent such incidents and the harassment of women. At the same time, I have demanded that those involved in this incident be brought to justice."
The Shahidullah Hall branch of the Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal also submitted a memorandum to the proctor.
It said, “Unfortunately, on Jun 27, some former and current students who had come to enjoy the France vs Norway match were harassed by Saju Mia, the social services secretary of the student union. At one point, they were thrown out of the hall premises, which is highly deplorable and contrary to the harmonious atmosphere of the university.”
The memo also strongly condemned and protested against a “disgraceful” incident such as this at Dhaka University. It also demanded a proper investigation into the incident and appropriate administrative action against those responsible.
Sami Abdullah, president of the Dhaka University branch of the Biplobi Chhatra Maitree (Revolutionary Students Alliance), and Zahidul Islam Riyad, its general secretary, said in a joint statement: "Dhaka University is a historic institution of knowledge, free thought, and democratic coexistence. However, in recent times, mob organising, moral policing, the tendency to use force in the normal lives of female students, and harassment of students through displays of power are increasing at an alarming rate in different places across the campus.
"The recent incident at Shahidullah Hall, in which former and current students of the university were surrounded, intimidated, and forced to leave the hall, is a manifestation of that alarming trend."
The Biplobi Chhatra Maitree has demanded an immediate, impartial investigation into the incident, appropriate organisational and administrative action against those responsible, the safe participation of all students, regardless of gender, on campus, and formulating clear policies against “mob culture and harassing behaviour” at the university.
Asked about the matter, Proctor Prof Md Israfil Ratan told bdnews24.com that an assistant proctor has been assigned to investigate the incident after receiving the complaint.
“Appropriate action” will be taken after the investigation, he said.
