Dhaka — December 21, 2023:
A right-wing Islamist student group formed a human chain at the foot of the Raju Memorial Sculpture, calling for the abolition of Dhaka University’s “transgender/hijra” admission quota—or at minimum the removal of the word “transgender”—while claiming that transgender people are “mentally deformed.” Organizers presented themselves as “general students of Dhaka University.”
Participants displayed placards critical of the quota and urged others to join the protest. Police presence was reported in the area as the gathering concluded.
Speakers asserted that people who “voluntarily change gender through surgery” or who identify as a gender different from their assigned sex could benefit from the quota, and therefore argued for removing the term “transgender” from the provision. One student, identified as Priya of Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatun Nesa Mujib Hall, said, “Transgender and hijra are not the same … [transgender people] are mentally deformed,” reflecting the rhetoric used at the event.
Dhaka University introduced the “transgender/hijra” quota in the 2022–23 academic year to facilitate access to higher education; no applicant used the quota that year, and the provision appeared again in the 2023–24 admission notice. The gathering concluded without reported injuries or arrests. Student organizers indicated they would continue mobilizing around the demand to remove or amend the quota.
Source:
“’ট্রান্সজেন্ডাররা মানসিকভাবে বিকৃত’, ঢাবিতে কোটা বাতিলের দাবি” — Kaler Kantho (December 21, 2023). kalerkantho.com
“DU admission test: Students demand cancellation of transgender quota” — Dhaka Tribune (December 21, 2023). Dhaka Tribune
