DUCSU Campaign: Stop posting our photos online!
Staff Reporter :
Ahead of the upcoming Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election, questions over the safety and privacy of female students have come to the fore.
On Sunday, the Independent Students’ Unity panel submitted an eight-point memorandum to the chief returning officer, calling for a range of measures to safeguard candidates and ensure a smooth electoral process.
Among their key requests was the establishment of a “cyber security cell” to protect female candidates from online harassment and misogynistic behaviour, according to reports by bdnews24.com.
Other proposals included relocating certain polling centres closer to student halls to boost turnout, strengthening security across campus and at polling stations, ensuring ballot box safety, providing additional bus services on election day, and allowing non-residential students to vote using their university ID or pay-in slip if hall cards had not been renewed.
The panel also urged strict enforcement of the election code of conduct and adequate facilities at polling booths, such as water, sanitation, and medical support.
Meanwhile, four Dhaka University students-Sabikun Nahar Tamanna, Md Zakaria, Fatema Tasnim Jhuma, and Rifat Redwan-have filed a writ petition with the High Court seeking directives to limit the display of female students’ photographs and personal information on the DUCSU voter list.
Their lawyer, Advocate Md Faizullah, said the petition was submitted after the university did not act on a previous written request to the vice-chancellor to remove the published photographs.
The petitioners argued that publishing female students’ photographs constitutes a serious breach of privacy, causing distress and harassment, particularly for religiously observant students.
They warned that publicly accessible sensitive information posed a threat to safety and urged the immediate removal of images from the university website. They also recommended that future voter lists adopt secure alternatives, such as registration numbers, instead of personal photographs.